


Stolen Kisses

by Anonymous



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The 100 (TV) Fusion, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-03 12:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5290973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lexa is intrigued by the beautiful blonde next door, and even after her friend informs her the girl is somewhat of a heart breaker, Lexa still finds herself heading over there daily to get to know her a little better.</p><p>Or</p><p>Lexa moves in next door and starts being nosey.</p><p>Updates every weekend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lexa looked down at the poorly written note from her new soon-to-be roommate, Costia. It informed her their apartment was on floor 3, room 3b. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the 3 button, stepping back and leaning against the wall. She had a box that she placed on the floor momentarily so she could fix her bag and possibly get a better grip on the damn thing.

The door opened and she lifted the box, placing one hand beneath it and wrapping one hand around the side. Lexa stepped out of the elevator and looked at the nearest door. 3a... 3b... 3c...

3b! She turned around on her heel and approached the door, moving as if to set the box down when she heard shuffling beside her. Room 3c's door opened, and a girl with gorgeous blonde hair and bright blue eyes exited, carrying a blank canvas in her arms and her keys dangling from her mouth. She closed the door and used her other hand, which had a cell phone in it, to grab the keys and lock the door. She put the keys back into her mouth so she could put her phone away in her pocket, and pulled the keys back out of her mouth.

Lexa couldn't help but stare at how perfect she looked in her ripped jeans and plain white t-shirt. The girl turned and faced Lexa, catching her in her stare. Lexa looked quickly away, fidgeting with her own keys momentarily as she tried her best not to notice that the girl was indeed staring back, doing a once-over of Lexa.

"You new here?" her voice was light and playful, and Lexa realized she was probably talking to her (she _was_ the only one in the hall, other than this mystery girl-next-door).

"Uh," Lexa looked up from her keys, still trying not to notice how cute the girl looked with her lopsided smile and tilted head. "Yeah. Me and my new roommate just got this place. I still have yet to meet her, but you know..." Lexa trailed off, realizing she was starting to ramble.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," the girl set her canvas down and held out her hand, "I'm Clarke Griffin."

"Lexa Woods," she shook hands with the woman, ignoring the small tingles it sent down her arm.

"Do you need help?" she motioned to the box, "I can help you carry a few, if there are any more."

"Oh, no," Lexa waved a dismissive hand around. "You already look busy. Are you an artist?"

"Only on the weekends," she said, a small laugh escaping her lips. At Lexa's confused expression, she explained herself, "I'm a doctor. Art is a hobby."

"Oh," Lexa said, smiling in return to the girl. She tried to keep her eyes locked with the other woman's, but she found her eyes drifting to her lips momentarily. The girl picked her canvas back up off the floor and adjusted it between her hip and her arm, balancing her bag on her other shoulder.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. See you around, Lexa." Clarke gave her a small smile, walking past her to the elevator. Lexa watched as she waved before the elevator door closed. Something about the way the girl said her name intrigued her, and she found herself hoping what the girl had said was true. _See you around_.

Lexa finally put the right key into the lock and turned it, opening the door. She pushed it open with her hip, the box already in her arms, and set it down on the ground. She had only a few other boxes. The movers had taken care of the rest, but she wanted to keep her personal possessions with her. All of the furniture had been moved to where Lexa and Costia had worked out over the phone, so Lexa plopped down and allowed herself to soak in the new feel of her apartment.

It had tanned walls (which were extremely bare, neither of the girls had artwork to hang up) and polished wooden floors that shined in the morning light. Lexa jumped out of her skin when the door was thrown open behind her, letting out a small scream. She picked up the thin vase on the coffee table in front of her and lifted it to protect herself, facing the door. She let out a slow breath and lowered the vase when she saw the girl standing before her. Lexa recognized her from the picture she had seen online. It was Costia, the girl she was moving in with.

"You scared the shit out of me!" Lexa shouted, setting the vase back down. Costia had a box wrapped in her arms, with another small box being balanced on top of that. Lexa stepped forward and grabbed the smaller box, setting it down on the floor beside her own. Costia muttered a 'thanks' and dropped the bigger box, wiping a hand across her forehead and placing her other hand on her hip.

"Sorry about that," she said, "Those boxes were killing me."

"Well why'd you take two at once like that?" Lexa tested the weight of the bigger box. "Especially one this heavy?"

"It saves me from having to use that damned elevator more than three times. Now I only have one box to collect." she explained, heading back out the door. As if remembering something, she turned around and looked at Lexa. She stuck her hand out, grabbing Lexa's and shaking, "Sorry, it's nice to see you in person. I'm Costia."

"Yeah, I figured. I'm Lexa." I smiled.

"Yeah, I figured." she mocked, turning back around and heading towards the elevator. Lexa followed her, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button that took them to the bottom floor.

"Besides, you didn't save yourself three trips. You're still going to have to make just as many." Lexa said, leaning back against the wall of the elevator.

"What? Why?" she turned to face Lexa.

"Because you're helping me carry some of mine when you're done." Lexa said, shrugging.

"What makes you think that?" she said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Because you're my roommate and you want to be helpful." Lexa answered like it should be obvious.

Costia just let out a quiet laugh, turning away and leaning against the wall beside Lexa. When the doors opened they both headed towards their cars, grabbing boxes and heading back up together. When they were both done (and Costia had indeed helped Lexa with her boxes) they both sat down in the kitchen and had coffee together. They both had brought their coffee machines from their previous homes, but Lexa made a note to toss hers away after tasting how good the coffee was from Costia's machine.

"Have you met any of the neighbors yet?" Costia asked, leaning over the counter and looking up at Lexa, who was halfway through a sip of coffee. She lowered her cup and set it down.

"Just one," she said, remembering the beautiful blue eyes (which was her new favorite color) of the girl from apartment 3c.

"Who?" Costia asked, "What were they like? Did we get stuck with shitty neighbors?"

"No. In fact, she offered to help me with my boxes." Lexa said. "Her name's Clarke."

"Why didn't you accept her help?" Costia looked up at Lexa like she was stupid.

"She helps people enough." Lexa waved a hand around. "She is a doctor after all, and I'm guessing she has weekends off if she's not at the hospital right now. I didn't want to take away from her weekend."

"You're totally crushing on her." Costia says randomly, ignoring everything she just said.

"What?" Lexa says, "Pfft, no..."

Costia smirked, shaking her head and walking into the living room, turning on the tv the cable guy had set up a day ago. "Stop lying to yourself and ask her out."

"I don't even know if she likes girls." Lexa sat on the couch beside her, gripping her mug tightly in her hands. "I don't want to ruin any chance for a relationship. Whether it's a friendship or... something else."

"Ask around."

"What?"

"Ask people about her. I'm sure you'll here something." she shrugs. "And if not, just hang out with her and give subtle hints. Like, find a way to put 'ex-girlfriend' into your sentences. That way she can know your sexuality, and if she likes you, she will most likely act on her feelings."

Lexa let her advice sink in, leaning back in the seat. Her thoughts were overthrown when her stomach growled, and she stood, abandoning her mug on the coffee table. Neither of them had gone shopping, so she knew there was nothing to eat in the fridge. "I'm going to get lunch. Want to come?"

"I had a big breakfast." Costia waved a dismissive hand around, keeping her eyes glued to the television screen. Lexa let out a small chuckle, grabbing her purse and jacket. She pulled her keys from the bag and opened the door, leaving it unlocked because Costia was still inside. When she reached her car, she unlocked it and put the keys in the ignition, turning and starting up her car. She drove through the town, looking for a place to eat. She found a quaint little coffeehouse with a nice, inviting outside. When she parked in the small lot and got out, she walked over to the door and walked in, looking around. The lighting inside was soft, making the place feel all the more cozy. Couches and sofas were scattered around the place, along with booths and tables. There were some beautifully done paintings hanging on the walls as well.

Lexa took a seat at a booth by a window, waiting patiently for someone to come and take her order. There were a couple other people sitting around, drinking coffee and talking quietly. A person sitting on a couch laughed at something the boy beside her said, and she placed her hand on his arm as her head fell back in laughter. He was smiling at her like she was the only thing in the room, and it made Lexa smile as well.

"Hello," someone said from beside her. Lexa looked up and saw a pretty girl with dark hair pulled up in a bun, her light blue eyes bright and smiling as she looked down at me. "Can I take your order?" she pulled out a small pad of paper from the apron wrapped around her waist.

"What would you recommend?" Lexa asked. She hadn't really taken a look at the menu.

"The sandwiches here are fantastic. Though, that's slightly biased because I make them." she smiles.

"I'll have a sandwich. With some coffee, please." Lexa watched her write it down on the pad of paper.

"What type of sandwich?"

"Surprise me." Lexa shrugged, leaning back in her seat. The girl nodded, notifying Lexa she'd be right back with the food. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and reaching down to pull it out.

**Anya**

Did you get there okay?

**Lexa**

Yep.

**Anya**

Good. How's your roommate?

Lexa thought for a moment before typing in her answer.

**Lexa**

A little odd.

**Anya**

Have you met your neighbors yet? Are they annoying? Cause you can move back if you want..

Lexa rolled her eyes, letting out a small laugh.

**Lexa**

No, Anya. And I did meet one. Her name's Clarke. She's nice.

Lexa swore she could feel Anya's heavy sigh at her answer. She really didn't like that Lexa was moving away. She felt extremely protective over her after everything that happened with her parents.

**Anya**

Do I sense romance?

**Lexa**

Oh my god, Anya.

**Anya**

Ha! I knew it. Good luck with your neighbor ;)

Lexa shook her head and was about to set her phone down when someone sat in the booth across from her. A girl with dark hair and equally dark eyes looked back at her, a small smile playing at her lips. Lexa smiled back, but was very confused. There were plenty of open seats all across the room.

"Is your name Lexa, by any chance?" she said.

Lexa raised a brow, looking at the girl warily. "Yes..."

"I'm Raven Reyes," the girl, Raven, held her hand out across the table. "My roommate told me about you."

"Your roommate?"

"Clarke? I think you've met her?" she tilts her head.

"Yeah..." Lexa said, her heart jumping at the mention of the beautiful blonde. "How did you know it was me?"

"Your keys." she motioned down to the keys Lexa had placed down on the table. "The card says 3b in big bold letters."

"Oh. So you're Clarke's roommate?"

"Yeah. And that girl," she motioned to the waitress that had taken Lexa's order, "Is Octavia. She's our other roommate."

Octavia placed the tray of food down and handed Lexa her food, along with her latte. "Here we go; a Italian sandwich with a coffee." she noticed Raven, who was sitting across from Lexa and was smiling up at her. "Raven?"

"Yep," Raven said, popping the 'p'.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted a coffee. Then I saw this," she motioned to the keys, "And realized she's the girl Clarke told us about."

Octavia looked at the key herself, her eyes widening with realization. "You're Lexa? Clarke said you were hot but she didn't say you were _this_ hot."

Lexa blushed, looking down at the food Octavia had placed before her. Octavia sat down next to Raven. "Clarke said that?" Lexa asked.

"Oh," Octavia whispers. "Did Clarke want us to say that?"

"Probably not," Raven muttered back, looking up at Lexa and smiling. "So how do you like New York?"

"Oh, I'm not new to New York. I've lived here all my life. It's just a new part of New York." Lexa explained.

"Alright," Raven said, "How do you like this _new part_ of New York?"

"Oh, it's nice." she said, taking a bite of the sandwich. She couldn't help the small moan she let out at how good it was. "This is really good." she said with her mouth full.

Octavia let out a low chuckle. "Clarke did the same thing. I think she doubted my ability to make food, considering I'm usually a lazy ass."

Costia's advice ran through Lexa's mind, and she looked up at the two of them. "Can I ask you both something about Clarke?"

"Shoot." Octavia said.

"Is she straight?" Lexa said slowly, looking between the two for a reaction. Octavia smirked and Raven's eyes widened, a huge smile plastering itself onto her face.

"She's bi." Octavia said, her smile growing. "Why? Do you like her?"

"I don't know." Lexa shrugged, looking down at the table and blushing. At least now she knew she had a chance with Clarke.

"You totally do." Raven said. "Is it because she's blonde? Should I dye my hair?" she turned to Octavia, holding a strand out and inspecting it.

"You look perfect the way you are, Raven." Octavia said. "Plus, you're gonna ruin your hair if you dye it."

Lexa let out a small chuckle, taking another bite of the sandwich and holding in her moan this time. "Is she seeing anyone?" Lexa asked quietly, keeping her eyes trained on her sandwich.

"No. She was..." Octavia said, looking over at Raven momentarily. "But that was a while ago. She's totally over it."

Lexa nodded, continuing to eat her sandwich while Raven talked to her about various things. The weather, recent news in the city; you name it. Octavia had gotten up and left a while ago, considering she still had a coffeehouse to take care of. When Lexa was done, she parted ways with Raven and headed out to see some of the city. She had never been in this area, and the only reason she had moved here was because she got a new job at the law firm nearby.

Lexa got a text from Costia while she was still out and exploring the city.

**Costia**

Holy mother of all things holy u didn't tell me Clarke was H.O.T.T. hot!

**Lexa**

You met her?

**Costia**

Yeah, dingus. She came over looking for u. She wanted to know if u wanted to join her and her friend's game night tonight. She invited me as well.

**Lexa**

Tell her I'll come.

**Costia**

For real tho I understand why ur crushing on this girl. She's is just...

**Lexa**

I know.

Lexa couldn't help the blush that spread onto her face.

**Costia**

Be back around 5. She said it starts around then.

**Lexa**

Alright. See u there.

Lexa checked her watch. It was 4:38 right now. So, she hopped in her car and sped home. When she got inside, she ran to take a quick shower and put on a pair of jeans and one of the many band shirts she had sitting around in her new closet (which was still a horrible mess. She had only thrown the boxes of clothes back there). She emerged with a few minutes to spare.

"I've never seen someone move as fast as you did. You must be really looking forward to this." Costia wiggled her eyebrows at Lexa, and Lexa rolled her eyes in return.

"Shut up."

Costia let out a laugh. "Come on, she said there'd be pizza. We don't want to get there late and there not be any left."

They walked across the hall to 3c. Costia knocked on the door and stepped back. The door opened and there Clarke stood. She had changed out of the ripped jeans and t-shirt from this morning, and was now standing in a pair of shorts with a tank top. Her feet were bare, and Lexa couldn't help but run her eyes across her perfectly shaped legs. She snapped out of it when Costia elbowed her in the side, and she looked back up at the magnificent sea of blue. Clarke smiled at her, a small blush creeping up onto her cheeks. So she _had_ noticed Lexa staring. Regardless, Lexa smiled at the fact that she could make Clarke blush like that.

"Welcome," she opened the door wide enough for Costia and Lexa to walk by into the apartment. "Pizza's on the counter."

Lexa allowed her eyes to wander across the room, looking over the smooth grey-ish walls of the apartment. The living room had wooden floors similar to Lexa and Costia's apartment, but the kitchen had a nice tile that matched the granite counter tops and cabinets perfectly. Clarke _was_ an artist, so it was no surprise that the place looked like something straight out of a magazine. She had a nice eye for decoration.

Lexa noticed a few paintings on the walls. Well, not a few, a lot. Costia piped up beside her. "Did you make these?" she walked over to one of the paintings and traced the C.G. painted in small curvy letters in the bottom corner.

"Yeah," Clarke said to Costia. "You like them?"

"They're beautiful. Lexa mentioned you were a doctor? How do you find time to paint these?" Costia turned and looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"I have weekends off." Clarke shrugged. _So I was right_ , Lexa thought to herself. "Lexa," her head shot up at the sound of her name, and she was pleased to see it was   
Clarke that had said it. "Do you want some pizza?"

Clarke stepped past her into the kitchen, grabbing two plates and looking at her with a question in her eyes. "Yes, please."

"Costia?"

"Yep!" she called from the living room, where she had sat down on the big, comfy-looking sofa that faced a beautiful fireplace with a television above it.

Clarke put a piece on one plate and handed it to Lexa, giving her a small smile. Their hands brushed momentarily before Clarke let go, making a second and third plate; one for Costia and one for herself.

"So where's everyone else?" Costia asked. "Surely we're not the only two."

"Bellamy and Lincoln will be here shortly. They're always late." she waved a hand around. Lexa sat beside Costia, and Clarke sat in a single chair that was beside the couch they were sitting on. "So, Lexa," Clarke started, placing her pizza down after taking a bite. "Costia already told me about the flower shop she runs. But, I never got to hear what you do in your line of work."

Lexa nodded, setting her pizza back on the plate as well and looked up at the gorgeous woman. "I'm a lawyer. In fact, the reason I moved here was because I got a job at a law firm near here. I start next week."

Clarke smiled, nodding. She looked like she was about to say something else before a loud crash sounded somewhere in a room down the hall. Clarke sighed heavily, reaching her hand up to rub her temple before calling out, "Raven! I swear if you blow the apartment up with that damn gadget I will kill you!"

Lexa and Costia looked at her with a question in their eyes, and Clarke sighed again before explaining. "She's a mechanic. She's always in there building something new. The last one she built started a small fire."

Raven emerged from the hall with a screw driver in hand. "Oh, hey Lexa. Hey Costia." she greeted the two of them. "Clarke, I have a small problem."

"What?"

"I'm all out of bolts."

"Too bad. You'll have to buy more tomorrow," Clarke said sternly. "Now put that damn thing down and come sit with us."

Raven stuck her tongue out, returning to her room and coming back a moment later empty handed. She shot daggers at Clarke with her eyes, and the blonde just shook her head, a smirk playing across her lips.

"How long have you guys been roommates?" Lexa asked.

"Well, we've been roommates for a good five years, but we've been friends all our lives." Clarke explains, finishing her slice and setting the plate down on the coffee table. Lexa nodded, leaning back into the couch and glancing up at the television.

There was a knock on the door, and Clarke stood, opening it and allowing two guys followed by Octavia to come into the apartment. "Lexa, Costia," she said, "This is Bellamy," she motioned to a guy with curly dark hair, "And this is Lincoln," she motioned to the other guy, who smiled and waved at them. "Guys, this is Lexa and Costia." she pointed to each of them in turn.

"It's nice to meet you," they both said.

Clarke clapped her hands together, pushing the three of them into the living room. She pulled monopoly out from under the coffee table, setting it out. "Now. Shall we begin?"

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa go on their first date. Clarke invites Lexa to go to an art class with her after she shows an interest in learning to paint.

Clarke was thoroughly impressed by Lexa's monopoly skills after she left almost everyone bankrupt in the span of two hours (an all-time record, but nobody told Lexa that). Clarke was the only one left, and although her friends were trying to support her and encourage her to keep going, she knew she wasn't going to win. They knew she wasn't going to win. Basically, Clarke was holding on for dear life. She didn't want to give up her champion title to Lexa after her first game night with Clarke and her friends.

"I'll make you a deal," Lexa said as she moved her piece a few spaces over. She landed on the tax spot and tossed two hundred dollars in the middle. Clarke was having a difficult time keeping the smirk off her face as she looked down at the board.

"Depends on the deal." Clarke said, looking up at Lexa and narrowing her eyes.

"If I win in the next five turns, I get to take you out on a date." Lexa said. Clarke was halfway through a sip of beer when she finally processed what Lexa had said. She coughed rapidly, making sure to keep the beer from coming out of her nose. When she had finally calmed down, she looked up at Lexa and narrowed her eyes even more.

"What would I get if you lost?"

"Whatever you'd like." she shrugged, leaning back and taking a sip from her own drink. She gave Clarke a suggestive look and wiggled her eyebrows slightly, causing Clarke to blush and everyone else in the room to whistle and make catcalls.

Clarke cleared her throat and looked down at the board. If she rolled a solid five she would land on the free parking space. From the looks of it there was roughly two thousand dollars piled up in the center. If she didn't get it, she would definitely lose. Clarke took her drink in her hand and chugged the rest of it down. "Deal."

Lexa smirked and leaned forward, placing her drink back down. Clarke picked up the dice and closed her eyes, shaking vigorously before tossing them down on the board. She watched as one revealed a three, and the other revealed a two. She let out a sigh of relief and moved to the piece over to the free parking, collecting the money in the middle. Lexa's smirk wavered, but she still picked up the dice and rolled, moving her piece across the board. She landed on one of her own squares and frowned, looking across the board at Clarke.

"One," Clarke said. "Only four more turns. Better step up your game, Woods."

Clarke rolled again, this time getting a six. She moved her piece along the board, landing on the community chest square. She picked up the card and read it allowed. "Give the person to your right five hundred dollars."

Lexa smirked, holding her hand out to Clark and waiting for her money. Clarke stuck out her tongue and gave the money to her, leaning back and waiting silently for her turn. Lexa rolled, landing on her own square again. "Why do you never land on any of my squares?" Clarke said, throwing her hands in the air.

"I'm just good at this game, Clarke."

Clarke let out an angry grunt, picking up the dice and rolling. She was pleased when she landed on her own square, "Ha-ha. Three more turns."

Clarke could tell Lexa was getting nervous by the way she shifted in her seat and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. When Lexa rolled and landed on yet _another_ of her own squares, Clarke let out another frustrated grunt and threw her hands up. Clarke rolled the dice and closed her eyes while she waited for them to land on whatever number her luck provided her with. When she didn't hear the sound of the dice moving anymore, she peeked at them with one eye and sighed when she saw the number. She moved exactly onto the 'Go' space, collecting two hundred dollars.

Lexa rolled. Landed on her own space.

Clarke rolled. Landed on Lexa's space and gave her two hundred forty dollars.

Lexa rolled. Landed on Clarke's space (for once) and gave her one hundred dollars.

Clarke rolled. Landed on her own space.

All of her friends (who had gathered around her over the past few minutes) were chanting and fist pumping at Clarke's victory. Lexa was smiling, shaking her head at all of them. Costia sat beside her, laughing at the face Raven was making.

"So it appears I'm not the greatest player of this game." Lexa said. "Anyway, a deals a deal. What do you want, Clarke?"

Something about the way Lexa said her name made her smile at the other girl, raising a hand to silence the still-chanting group behind her. They calmed down after a minute or so, and Clarke spoke, "I think I'll take you up on your offer."

Lexa looked taken aback, "What?"

"I'll go on a date with you."

"You will?"

"That's what I said, yes."

"Really?"

"Are you deaf?" Clarke joked, letting out a small laugh. "I said, _I will go on a date with you_."

Lexa smiled the widest smile Clarke had seen on her face all night, "Well... Good. Great, actually."

"You guys are just too adorable." Octavia said from behind Clarke.

"Yeah, you warm our hearts." Raven said, placing a sarcastic hand over her heart.

For the rest of the night the group watched a sappy rom-com, making stupid comments the entire time and laughing at the cheesy parts. Clarke went into the kitchen to get another slice of pizza (even though it was getting late. But hey, it's never too late for pizza) and to refill her cup.

"Clarke." someone said beside her. She looked up to see Lexa standing there, her hands awkwardly hanging by her sides.

"Yeah?"

"Did you really want to go on that date?" Clarke glanced down at Lexa's lips when Lexa bit her bottom lip nervously, "It's okay if you only agreed to because you don't want to hurt my feelings."

"No." Clarke said sternly, stepping closer and looking her straight in the eyes. "I want to go on a date with you."

Lexa smiled then, and it was one of the most beautiful sights in the word. Her fingers ached to sketch it on paper, to capture the moment forever. Clarke would have kissed her then and there if there wasn't a large group of immature five year olds in the living room twenty feet away.

"How does breakfast tomorrow sound?" Clarke tilted her head, smiling lazily at her. Lexa nodded with another smile, turning and leading the way back into the living room.

"Clarke, babe," Raven said from the couch, waving her beer around. "Can you get me some more drink?" she slurred. "Ooh, and pizza."

Clarke took the bottle from her and tossed it in the trash after drinking the rest of it. "You're done for the night, Rae."

"You're no fun." she pouted, leaning her head on Bellamy's shoulder. "She's no fun." she tried to whisper quietly to Bellamy, but it ended up being a loud whisper that everyone heard.

"I am too fun." Clarke said defensively. "But when you get drunk you tend to puke, and I'm not waking up in the middle of the night to find that you barfed all over yourself."

"Again." Octavia chimed in.

"Right, again."

"It's already the middle of the night," Raven said.

"It is?" Costia muttered, looking at the clock on the wall and yawning. "Crap..."

"You wanna go home?" Lexa said, helping Costia stand. She had had quite a few drinks. Almost as many as Raven. _Almost_.

"Yeah," she said. "But you'll have to be my eyes and arms and legs."

"Oh, come on, you're not that drunk." Lexa said, walking her over to the door.

"Mmmmm, yeah I am." Costia muttered.

"Mmmmm, no you're not." Lexa mocked, letting out a small laugh at the face Costia made. "Clarke?"

Clarke looked up from her pizza, "Yewsh?" She said with food still in her mouth.

"Eight o'clock tomorrow morning?" Clarke nodded, waving at the two of them before the door closed behind them. Bellamy and Lincoln left after them, leaving the three girls in their apartment to talk for another thirty minutes before going to bed.

Clarke sat at her desk, finding it extremely hard to sleep with the growing nerves in her stomach. What if Lexa didn't like her after getting to know her better? Clarke hoped she didn't mess anything up over the course of their date tomorrow. She would have to be extremely careful with the things she said.

Instead of going to sleep, she pulled her sketchpad from her bag and started drawing the smile Lexa had given Clarke earlier. She tried her best to perfect the curve of her cheek, the thickness of her hair and every other beautiful feature of her face.

When she was done, she did some light shading to her features. There was only one thing that she felt needed color. She pulled several different shades of green from her pencils, finishing the piece of art by shading in the eyes.

She stared at it for a while, admiring her work. She felt her eyes close slowly and everything faded around her.

The next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake by Octavia. "Clarke? Clarke!"

"Huh?" Clarke yawned, opening her eyes and taking in her surroundings. She was still sitting in her chair, her sketchbook laying against her stomach. The colored pencils were scattered on the floor around her, all except for the one she was still clutching in her hand. "What's going on?"

"You fell asleep in your chair, babe." She said, helping Clarke stand. "Your date with Lexa is in thirty minutes. I thought I would wake you up."

Clarke's eyes widened and she glanced at the clock. She gave Octavia a small kiss on the cheek before standing and rushing around, looking for something to wear, "Thanks."

She nodded, leaving Clarke alone in her room. Clarke grabbed a blue dress out of her closet along with a pair of white heels. It wasn't too fancy, but it wasn't something like jeans and a shirt (which she would have worn if she didn't feel the need to impress Lexa). She ran into the bathroom where she showered quickly. She put on the dress and did her makeup, having a few minutes to spare. She waited to put her heels on until she was by the door. She grabbed her leather jacket and purse before she slid the heels on.

She shouted that she would be back later to her roommates and opened the door, shutting it behind her and walking down the hall to apartment 3c. Clarke rapped her knuckles against the door and stepped back, listening as there was a lot of shuffling and a small bang. A flash of worry shot through Clarke's mind, but when the door opened and Clarke was greeted by Lexa, who was pulling a shoe on, she relaxed.

"Sorry..." she muttered, closing the door behind her.

Clarke just smiled. Apparently they both woke up a little late. She was wearing a dress as well, her hair pulled up in a pony tale on the back of her head. When she had finally gotten her shoe on properly, she looked up at Clarke. Her eyes trailed up Clarke's legs, past her chest and finally settled on her face. Clarke felt a blush creep up onto her cheeks, and she knew Lexa could see it because a grin found it's way onto her face.

"You look nice." she said, giving Clarke a chance to smile at the blush that found it's way onto her face.

"As do you." Clarke replied.

"So where are we going?"

"This nice place called The Ark. They have the _best_ blueberry waffles." Lexa admired the way Clarke's eyes shined when she talked about the place.

"Have you been there before?" Lexa said.

"My, uh," Clarke looked down at the floor of the elevator as it closed behind them, "My dad used to own the place. It was a side-job he had. Sort of like a hobby. He was mostly spending all his time working as an engineer. But yeah, I grew up there."

"Does he no longer work there?"

"Hmm?" Clarke tilted her head. The doors to the elevator opened and they stepped out, Lexa following Clarke to her car.

"You said 'was' and 'used to'." Lexa said, "Did he give up ownership?"

Clarke took in a breath, gulping it down and staring at a point somewhere on the ground. "Um... No, he passed away a few years ago."

"Oh." Lexa didn't offer any 'I'm sorry for your loss', which Clarke was grateful for. She had heard that line too many times.

"But still," Clarke smiled, "It's my favorite place to eat. They serve breakfast all day."

Lexa smiled back, hopping in the car beside Clarke. She couldn't help but worry for her. She could see the subject deeply affected the blonde, and she didn't like the silence that had settled between them on the ride because of it. 

“I’m sorry I caused you to think of him. We can go on our date tomorrow or the day after, whatever you’re comfortable with-“

“Lexa.” Clarke cut her off. “I want to go on this date with you. Now. And it’s not like you pushed the thoughts into my mind. We’re going to my dad’s old restaurant. It was going to pop into my thoughts eventually.”

Lexa just nodded, looking sideways at Clarke while she drove down the road to The Ark. She admired the way the blonde’s eyebrows pulled together in focus as she kept a close eye on the road. She seemed so careful and coordinated in the car.

The car came to a stop and it was then that Lexa realized they had pulled up to the restaurant. She took a moment to admire the beauty of the place while Clarke pulled the keys out of the ignition and unlocked the car doors. It had nice, big open windows in the front, and inside you could see tons of people walking around, sitting at tables, talking, and laughing.

Clarke watched Lexa briefly before clearing her throat and pulling the door open, hopping out of the car and waiting until Lexa had closed her door to lock it up.

She led Lexa to the entrance, holding the door for her and stepping up to the hostess with her. The girl recognized her immediately. “Clarke! My favorite customer.”

Clarke grinned at the girl, “It’s nice to see you, Cassie.”

“I see you’ve brought a friend.” She motioned to Lexa, who was too busy looking around at the many paintings and pictures hanging around on the stunning wooden walls, along with the various lights hanging from the ceiling in odd patterns.

“Actually, she’s my date.” Clarke’s smile widened, “Table for two, please.”

“Sure thing.”

Cassie pulled two menus out and motioned for them to follow her. Clarke pulled on Lexa’s arm, snapping her out of her daze. Clarke let out a small laugh, shaking her head at Lexa and leading her to the table Cassie had for them.

“A waitress will be right over to take your order.” Clarke thanked her before looking down at the menu, unfazed by the beauty of the place. She had grown used to it over the years she spent growing up there.

Lexa narrowed her eyes at one of the paintings, noticing a curvy C.G. painted in the right corner. She looked at another and noticed the same thing. “Did your dad hang your paintings?”

“Yes.” Clarke smiled up at her. “I’m glad you noticed.”

“I always wanted to learn to draw, or paint.” Lexa said. “It seems calming.”

“It is.”

Lexa lapsed into silence, occasionally looking up from her menu at the walls. Clarke asked the question before she could think about it. “Would you like to go to art class with me sometime?”

Lexa looked up in surprise, tilting her head slightly at Clarke. When she saw Clarke was serious, she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds fun. When is it?”

“Saturdays. That’s actually where I was going yesterday when we met.” Clarke explained.

“Well I’d be happy to join you.” Lexa smiled.

Clarke put the menu down and looked up at Lexa. “I don’t really know why I looked at this. I already know what we’re getting.”

“And what’s that?”

“We went over this. Blueberry waffles. Best in the city. Ring any bells?” Clarke tapped her temple with her pointer finger.

“Right.” Lexa folded her menu up and placed it on the table. “I guess I’ll just have to trust you. I can see there will be no disagreement on my side.”

Clarke raised an amused eyebrow and leaned back in her seat, looking over at Lexa like she was the only thing in the room. “So,” she started. “Do you have any family?”

“Well, sort of.” She said. “I mean, yes. I just don’t talk to them. The closest thing I have to family is Anya. She basically raised me.”

“What happened to your parents?”

“They’re homophobic. We don’t really speak. They send me birthday cards and small gifts around Christmas, but I don’t think I’ve spoken to them face to face in a while.” Lexa had no idea why she was being this open about this, but she felt she shouldn’t keep it from Clarke. She knew she could trust her with this.

“That must suck.” Was all she said. Lexa was quiet for a moment before she burst out into a fit of laughter, tilting her head back and letting out the roar of laughter that just sort of came from nowhere. It wasn’t even that funny of a statement, if you thought about it, but Lexa couldn’t control it.

Pretty soon Clarke was laughing with her and the two of them were getting strange looks from the other people at tables nearby.

The waitress appeared while they were still letting out the last bit of laughter. She was a pretty girl with chestnut brown hair and dark brown eyes. She kept her gaze strictly on Lexa, who was still watching Clarke with an amused expression, laughing quietly; the only sign that she was still laughing was her shaking shoulders.

Clarke, however, had calmed down enough that she could speak. She looked up at the waitress, annoyed that she wasn’t looking at Clarke, but had her gaze locked on Lexa. She cleared her throat and sat up straighter, an odd feeling forming in her gut. She pushed it aside and spoke, “We’d like two orders of the blueberry waffles and coffees.”

The waitress nodded, glancing down at her notepad and writing that down. When she looked back up, she smiled only at Lexa. “I’ll be back with that. Let me know if you need anything.”

Clarke stared daggers at the girls back when she walked away, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. “You okay?” Lexa’s voice drew her back to reality, and she looked back over at Lexa, who had her head tilted with a lazy grin spreading over her features.

“Yeah, sorry.” Clarke cleared her throat again. “It’s just that she kept looking at you.”

“She did?” Lexa turned around to look for the girl. “I didn’t notice.” She shrugged, causing Clarke to smile, looking down at the table.

“I did. And it made me want to punch her square in the face.” Clarke grumbled. Lexa just looked amused.

“I’m not into girls that dye their hair.” She shrugged again.

“It looked natural to me." Clarke raised an eyebrow at her, smirking.

“Like I said, I wasn’t looking. Now, Clarke,” Lexa moved onto the next topic, causing Clarke to smile. “May I ask you a few questions?”

“Go ahead.” Clarke nodded, looking up at her beautiful eyes.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Green.” Lexa blushed, smiling slightly.

“Mine’s blue. As of yesterday.” She added in.

“Same,” Clarke said. “My old favorite color used to be red. I have no idea why though, green’s so much more beautiful.”

This made Lexa’s grin grow, causing Clarke’s to grow as well. “How did you meet Raven and Octavia?”

“Well,” Clarke leaned forward. “I met Octavia after she asked to borrow a pencil. I gave her one and she lost it, so the next day she came back with an entire pack of pencils. It was kind of sweet, thinking back on it now. But we basically became best friends after that. The next year, Raven moved into town. She was extremely sassy and sarcastic back then as well, so you can only imagine how that went down.”

Lexa smiled watching Clarke explain how Raven had pulled on her blonde hair (which she explained had been much, _much_ curlier when she was little than it was now) because she thought it would bounce like a spring. Six year old Clarke apparently didn’t know what a spring was back then, so Raven had gone to lengths to explain it to her. Clarke liked that Raven was smart and all that, so she basically introduced her to Octavia and they all became, quote on quote, “besties for life.”

“Enough about me,” Clarke said. “How did you meet Anya? Or is she your blood sister?”

“Umm,” Lexa thought for a moment before answering. “Well, I was new in town and was sitting alone at lunch because I was sort of a loner. Anya didn’t have any friends either, so she sat with me and we just sort of became friends after that.”

“You call that a story?” Clarke teased. “You can’t tell me you just automatically got along like that.”

“Well, no,” Lexa admitted, “She did like to pick on me a lot and I had a tendency to snap back at her.”

“Ooh,” Clarke said, folding her hands under her chin and leaning forward. “Details, please.”

Lexa was about to continue her story before the annoying waitress popped back over with their food and drinks, still smiling and looking only at Lexa. It made Clarke want to gauge her eyes out with her spoon.

“Let me know if you need anything.” The question seemed only directed towards Lexa.

She felt a hand on hers and looked up to see a very amused Lexa looking across the table at her. “Ignore her.”

Clarke took a long, deep breath before cutting into her waffles and savoring in the fantastic taste of blueberry. She watched as Lexa cut off part of the waffle, holding it up to her nose and sniffing before popping it in her mouth. She moaned, closing her eyes and chewing slowly.

“Told you so.”

“Shut up,” Lexa said when she had swallowed the bite.

When they were both done, the waitress came back with the check. She had handed it to Lexa, winking at her before turning around and sauntering back into the kitchen. If Clarke’s father had still worker here, she would have had him fire her. But she frowned when she remembered he couldn’t do that anymore. She took the check from Lexa, shaking her head and ignoring all of Lexa's attempts to at least pay for part of the meal.

Clarke frowned again when she saw the phone number written at the bottom of the check. She flipped it around to show Lexa. “So?” Lexa said.

“She clearly left it for you. If it was for me, she would have handed me the check.”

“So?” she repeated.

“ _So_ she’s flirting with you!”

“So? I’m on a date with you.” She pointed out. Clarke started grumbling under her breath before placing the money down along with the check. The waitress came by again, taking the money and sliding the check closer to Lexa before winking and wishing them both (though it was more directed at Lexa) a good rest of the day.

Clarke was extremely happy when she noticed that Lexa tore the check in two and threw it away, grabbing Clarke's hand as they walked out together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa share a few moments in Clarke's art class.
> 
> Octavia fangirls a little too loudly.

Lexa sat impatiently in her seat at the coffeehouse where Octavia worked, the Dropship, waiting for Anya. Monday through Friday had passed by like nothing. Lexa hadn’t seen Clarke for most of the week, considering she worked until hours late into the night. But, she was excited for this “date” with her today. Clarke said the art class was at 12, so Lexa had texted Anya and asked her to meet an hour before.

Anya was late, of course, but Lexa really had to talk to her. Lexa would have told her over text or the phone, but this seemed too important.

She saw the doors open, and Anya came scrambling in, her arms overloading with her jacket, purse, and a book she was awkwardly trying to mark and put away. She looked around the room, reaching up and pushing her glasses up. When she spotted Lexa, she smiled and walked over, taking the seat across from her.

“Hey,” she said, setting her belongings beside her before turning her complete attention to Lexa. She took in Lexa’s outfit; ripped jeans and plain white shirt with a tear in the sleeve. Clarke had told her to dress lazily, in things she didn’t care about possibly ruining.

“Hi.”

“Why are you dressed like that?” she asked, accepting the coffee that Lexa pushed over to her. Before she could ask anything about the coffee, Lexa spoke.

“Two sugars and no milk.” She confirmed. Anya smiled, taking a sip. “And to answer your question, Clarke invited me to her art class.”

“Art class, huh?” she took another sip, “You’ve never showed interest in art before.”

“Clarke likes art.”

“Wait, you wouldn’t happen to be talking about Clarke Griffin, would you?” she set her coffee down and looked at me seriously.

“Yeah…” Lexa said, looking at her skeptically. Lexa wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what Anya was about to tell her. Lexa liked how things were going with Clarke, and she didn’t want anything to change them.

“Lexa, you need to remove yourself from the situation. Like, now.” She said. “I’ve heard about her; she’s a huge heartbreaker. You shouldn’t start anything with her.”

“But I already have,” Lexa says. “And that’s what I came here to talk about. I really like her, Anya. And I think she likes me, too.”

“No, Lexa,” she says, grabbing my hand across the table. “Trust me. I’m looking out for you. She’ll break your heart. I don’t want you going through that.”

“She won’t. Look, I called you down here so I could tell you and maybe you could be happy for me, but if you aren’t going to be I’ll just go occupy myself until it’s time for the class.” Lexa stood angrily, grabbing her coffee and walking out as quickly as she could.

By the time she found her way to the address Clarke texted her, she was about thirty minutes early. Lexa opened the door and walked in, looking around the room. Only one other person was here, sitting by a canvas with a sketchpad. They were drawing something, entirely focused on whatever it was. Lexa took a seat by two blank canvases, setting her bag on the one beside her for Clarke. Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick message to Clarke.

**Lexa**

Hey, just wanted to let u know I’m here early.

**Clarke**

Ok I’ll be there soon.

Lexa put her phone away and looked around at the room. Various pieces of art were spread across the room. Different sculptures, paintings, and drawings covered the walls and shelves. She stood, inspecting the ones on the wall to the right of her. A voice behind her made her jump.

“That’s my favorite one.” Lexa looked down at the painting she had ran her hand over. It was of the night sky, a few mountains in the background. It looked like the northern lights had been painted in as well. It was a beautiful piece. She turned around to get a better look of the person who had spoken.

It was the girl who had been sketching, only now Lexa could see her face. She had dark hair that hung loosely around her shoulders, dark brown eyes, and pointed features. She was slightly shorter than Lexa by a few inches, and looked slightly up at her.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She held out her hand. “My name’s Ali.”

Lexa took her hand, shaking it slightly. “Lexa.”

“I’ve never seen you here before. Are you new?” she tilted her head, smiling.

“Yes. Well, no.” Lexa frowned. “I’m probably only going to be attending this one class. My art skills suck.”

“Don’t say that, I’m sure they’re great.” She laughed, grabbing Lexa’s arm in a flirtatious way. Lexa smiled tightly, backing away slightly to lean against the counter behind her. “So what got you interested in this class?”

“My…” Lexa thought for a moment before saying, “friend, Clarke. She invited me.”

The girl noticed Lexa’s pause and almost lost her smile before she overpowered it and her face broke out in another wide smile.

“I know Clarke. She’s like… the best in the class. I strive to be as good as her.” She looked behind Lexa at the wall momentarily, her eyes scanning across the paintings. “The teacher hangs people’s work up on the walls when she thinks the artist did a good job. Clarke has two paintings hanging up.” She pointed to a painting on the wall. “The teacher hung this one last week.” It was of a girl, sitting on a stool in the middle of a dark room, a ray of light shining down on her. She had bright green eyes, and Lexa wondered if it was her or if it was pure coincidence.

“Did she say what it represented?” Lexa turned to Ali.

“She called it ‘Mystery Girl’. I really didn’t hear anything other than that.” Ali shrugged. "The other one was supposed to represent heartbreak. She painted that one a while ago.” Lexa looked at the one to the right of _Mystery Girl_. It had a blonde girl sitting in front of a window, staring out of it. She was partially slumped over, watching the rain outside. Lexa looked more closely, and could see that outside of the window was a figure standing underneath a street lamp staring up at the blonde girl in the window.

Octavia had mentioned something about a past relationship Clarke had that didn’t end very well. But Clarke seemed over it now. Lexa thought about how lively Clarke seemed. She was always smiling, making jokes, and leaving sarcastic comments.

Lexa forgot completely what she was thinking about when the door opened behind them. She turned around, smiling when she saw the familiar blonde holding the door with her foot while she typed something on her phone. Clarke didn’t look up until the door closed behind her. She saw Lexa and Ali by her paintings and smiled slightly, dropping her bag in the seat beside where she noticed Lexa’s was.

“Hey Ali.” She greeted her. “Lexa. I see you showed her my artwork.” She observed, glancing at both of her paintings before returning her gaze to Lexa and Ali.

“Yeah. They’re extremely beautiful.” Lexa commented, taking one last glance at them before sitting back down at the canvas. Ali said something about finishing her sketch and went back to her own seat, closer to the front of the room.

“I didn’t realize who I was painting for _Mystery Girl_ until I got to the eyes.” She said casually, her eyes on the painting that hung on the wall beside them. Lexa looked up, blushing slightly.

“Why did you invite me, Clarke?” Lexa said quietly, keeping her gaze on the paintings behind Clarke’s head.

“You showed interest in the art. I figured you might want to see how it works.” Clarke motioned to the room. “Plus I never have time to really hang out. I figured this was a way to get closer to you.”

Lexa blushed again, looking down at her hands in her lap.

“I got you something.” Clarke said, reaching into her bag. Lexa watched as she leaned down, her tank top shifting along with her. Clarke’s faded jeans fit her perfectly, and there was a small green paint stain on the right pant leg. She was wearing a pair of black combat boots and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She had dark rimmed glasses hanging on her nose, and she pushed them up when they started slipping. Lexa smiled slightly at the gesture; Clarke looked extremely cute when she did that.

She pulled out a sketchbook along with a small pouch. She handed them both over to Lexa and pushed her glasses up again. She watched Lexa expectantly, a smile on her face. Lexa looked down at the sketchbook. She flipped through the blank pages, smiling back. “In case you get inspired.” Clarke said.

Lexa opened the pouch next, her smile widening when she saw several different colored pencils and a few normal pencils.

“Thank you.”

“I figured I would get you some high-quality supplies. Don’t tell the teacher I said so but her sketchbooks and art supplies aren’t the best.” She whispered the last sentence, leaning close enough that Lexa could smell her perfume. She smelled like flowers and earth, Lexa thought.

“Thank you.” Lexa repeated, opening the sketchbook to the first blank page, pulling a pencil from the bag. “What should I draw?”

“Whatever you want. We still have,” she looked at her watch, “fifteen minutes until class starts.”

Lexa placed the tip of the pencil on the paper, then froze. “I… I don’t really know how to draw.”

Clarke let out a laugh, grabbing her own sketchbook from her bag along with a pencil. “That’s okay. I can teach you.”

For the next fifteen minutes, Lexa followed Clarke’s simple instructions on drawing. She watched as Clarke excitedly talked about proportions and shading, and how she grabbed Lexa’s hand and helped her when she was having difficulty making the right line.

When the entire class had gotten here and the teacher arrived, she told everyone to sketch the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. Clarke went to work right away, occasionally glancing up at Lexa. Lexa began drawing as well. She pictured Clarke from breakfast at The Ark, laughing across the table from her. She had picked up a little bit from what Clarke had told her, but most of her artistic ability was coming from her phone, where she had a picture of a step-by-step drawing of a body.

“Cheater.” Clarke looked over at Lexa’s phone which was balanced on her leg beside her sketchbook. Lexa looked up at Clarke, who had a lazy lopsided smile spreading over her face. Lexa returned her smile, letting out a small laugh.

“What are you drawing?” Lexa asked, trying to catch a glimpse of her sketch.

Clarke held it out of Lexa’s view. “No peeking.”

Lexa sighed dramatically, looking back down at her own work. It looked decent, for the most part.

Lexa looked up at Clarke, admiring the way strands of her hair were hanging loosely down the side of her face, outside of the tight ponytail. She pushed a few strands behind her ear in an attempt to move it away from her face, but they fell back anyway. Lexa smiled, looking back down at her sketch.

Clarke finished way before Lexa, looking up from her sketch. “You almost done?”

“Almost.” Lexa clarified, glancing up at Clarke and then back down. She tried to hide it from Clarke as best she could, keeping it balanced in her lap. Clarke smiled at her, lifting her head and trying to get a glimpse of it. “ _No peeking_.” She mocked Clarke, sticking her tongue out playfully. Clarke just laughed, looking away.

When Lexa was finally done, she leaned back and admired her work. It wasn’t as good as Clarke’s had to be, but it was decent. It showed Clarke sitting across from Lexa at the table, pushing a strand of her hair (which hung loosely around her shoulders) out of her face while laughing hysterically with Lexa before the waitress had showed up.

Lexa had drawn from elementary to high school. They had always had an art class, and Lexa thought that would be the easiest class to take. It hadn’t been, as it turned out, but she had learned a few things. And Clarke’s proportion and shading speech had helped, along with google, of course.

“ _Now_ are you done?” Lexa looked up to see Clarke, who was watching her with a lopsided smile. Lexa nodded slightly, pulling her sketchbook to her chest to shield it from Clarke. “Show them at the same time?”

Lexa nodded again, smiling. Clarke began counting down, and they both started turning their sketchbooks around. When they were both holding their books facing each other, Lexa blushed slightly at Clarke’s art. It was simply of a pair of forest green eyes, surrounded with dark face paint. A nose looked like it was about to begin, but faded out so all the picture showed was the pair of eyes.

Lexa looked up to take in Clarke’s expression. She was blushing as well, recognizing that the laughing figure in Lexa’s drawing was herself. “That’s really good.” Clarke said, lowering her sketchbook back into her lap. Lexa followed suit, sitting her pencil down.

“I may or may not have taken art class up until high school was over.” Lexa said, shrugging.

“You said you didn’t know how to draw, you liar!” she laughed, reaching out and slapping Lexa’s arm playfully. Lexa just shrugged again, looking incredibly smug.

By the end of the class, they had each painted their drawings onto canvases.

Lexa’s painting skills were not as great as her drawing skills, and Clarke ended up looking a little weird when she was finished. Clarke’s, on the other hand, was masterfully done. The green eyes held various shades of green inside of them, and the face paint was put on with care, smudged in some places to make it look more realistic.

“I will admit I’m not the best painter.” Lexa said as they left the class together, holding their canvases in front of them and looking over their work. “Mine looks like I just blotched paint down in the form of a person.”

“It looks good.” Clarke said. She pointed to her eyes. “You got my eyes right. I can never get my own eyes right.”

“You paint yourself?” Lexa asked, smirking as she looked over at Clarke.

“My mom asks me to sometimes. She likes having paintings and pictures of me around her house, and it’s free if I paint them myself.” Clarke shrugs, holding her painting in a way that she won’t touch the wet paint.

“So what am I supposed to do with this?” Lexa asked. “I am not hanging this in my apartment. Costia will probably burn it when I’m not home.”

“Keep it as a reminder that I’m a better painter than you.” Clarke said jokingly, nudging Lexa with her elbow.

Lexa felt confident in that moment. She worked up the nerve to speak the words she had wanted to speak all class. “Clarke?”

“Hmm?” Clarke hummed, looking over at Lexa.

“Do you wanna maybe… go on another one of those date things?” Lexa tried to say casually. It still came out weird, and she cursed herself silently for saying it like that. Why couldn’t she just say it like a normal person?

“Yeah,” Clarke said, “Yeah, I’d like that. See you later, Lexa.” Clarke smiled, walking over to her car which was parked on the other side of the parking lot. Lexa smiled, standing in place beside her car as she watched Clarke put her painting in the passenger’s seat and pull out of the parking lot.

When Lexa finally realized she was still smiling like an idiot, standing in the parking lot with a horrible painting of Clarke in her hands, she put the painting away and got in her car, heading home.

When she opened the door to her apartment, the first thing she was greeted with was the smell of pizza and coffee- a horrible combination.

“Costia? What is that _smell_ -“

Lexa froze in place, her mouth dangling open slightly at the sight of her roommate. She was standing in the kitchen with Raven, and the two were sloppily making out, Costia shoving Raven roughly against the counter.

“AHH MY EYES!” Lexa shouts, covering her eyes with her free hand before backing up and hitting the wall. “WHAT IS GOING ON?”

“Lexa!” she hears Costia say, surprise lacing her tone. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Lexa cracked her fingers, peeking to make sure she wasn’t going to see any more of that disgusting display. When she saw that they were both standing on opposite sides of the kitchen, she walked further in and set her painting down. Raven cleared her throat, motioning to the painting.

“Did painting with Clarke go well?”

“Yes…” Lexa looked between the two. “What was happening in here?”

“We’re a little drunk.” Costia motioned between the two of them.

“How quickly you dismiss our love.” Raven put a sarcastic hand over her heart, lifting a coffee with the other and taking a sip. “Mmm, Costia.” She puts the cup down, sliding it over to the bottle of whiskey that was open on the counter. “More.”

Costia shook her head with a small laugh, pouring more whiskey into Raven's coffee. “If you didn’t live down the hall I would have cut you off a long time ago.”

Lexa backed out of the kitchen and grabbed her painting, heading to her room. She placed it beside the boxes she still had yet to unpack and flopped down on her bed, pulling her phone out and texting Clarke.

**Lexa**

Did u know Raven was over here making out with Costia?

**Clarke**

Wtf? I thought she was at work?

**Lexa**

She lied to u.

**Clarke**

The bitch

**Lexa**

I think I’m scarred for life.

There was a bang outside of Lexa’s door, followed by several giggles. Lexa’s eyes widened and she immediately sat up, got out of bed and opened her door. Costia’s bedroom door closed as soon as she made it out into the hall completely.

**Lexa**

Oh god. I think they’re going to have sex. I can’t be here while this happens.

**Clarke**

U can come over if u want. I was about to put on Bridesmaids.

**Lexa**

U r a life saver.

**Clarke**

I know ;) Doctor, remember?

**Lexa**

Right, right.

Lexa burst out the front door, gladly walking over to Clarke’s apartment and knocking quickly. The door opened, and Clarke stood there, still in her outfit from art class. Lexa entered when Clarke held the door open wide enough that she could fit through. It was extremely dark in her apartment, and the only light came from the television, which was paused. Lexa breathed in through her nose, and the first thing she smelled was popcorn.

Clarke walked ahead of her, plopping down on the couch and grabbed a bowl that had been hidden from Lexa’s view. She patted the spot next to her, grabbing the remote. Neither of them had said a word.

Lexa broke the silence. “Do you know why Raven was kissing my roommate?”

“Raven had been talking about Costia a lot. I think they played Guitar Hero yesterday while you were at work.” Clarke said, thinking for a moment. “The signs are all there.”

“Costia never talked to me about Raven.” Lexa said, her brow pulling together.

“You and Costia haven’t known each other as long. I’m sure you don’t talk to her about everything either.” Clarke shrugged.

“True,” Lexa agreed. “Very true.”

Clarke started the movie. “Have you seen this before?”

“Of course. The scene where they try on bridesmaid dresses is the best part.” Lexa said.

“Oh my god, I know. And the scene right after where she runs in the street and poops. So good.” Clarke says casually, making Lexa toss her head back in laughter.

Clarke smiled, looking over at Lexa’s laughing figure with some sort of wonder in her eyes; she wondered how a person so beautiful and perfect just so happened to move next door to her. Maybe fate was real, or maybe it was just pure coincidence. Either way she was fine with it.

Clarke parted her lips as if she was about to say something when the front door opened. Both their heads snapped around, looking at the door. Octavia stood there, a few bags of groceries in her hands. She placed them down on the kitchen counter and closed the door.

“Hey Lexa, hey Clarke.” She greeted the two of them. “How was painting?”

“Good. I learned Lexa’s a liar, though.” Clarke said. Lexa pulled the pillow out from behind her back and smacked Clarke with it, earning a laugh from the beautiful blonde.

“What?” Octavia was smiling at the two of them, leaning against the counter as she pulled a bottle of water from one of the bags, opening it and taking a sip.

“She told me she didn’t know how to draw. And then later, after she drew a _pretty good_ picture of me, she informed me she took classes in middle and high school.” Clarke explained. “I swear to god, you only tricked me like that so I would help you make the lines on your paper.”

“Aww, did you do one of those things where you cover your hand with hers and show her how to do it?” Octavia squeals, “You two are so cute. Like, for real. You’re my main otp right now.”

“O…tp?” Lexa said, looking to Clarke for answers.

“Basically, she ships us as a couple.” Clarke said. “Octavia, I swear, if you scare her away with your stupid ship name-“

“CLEXA!” she shouts, throwing her hands in the air with a huge smile on her face.

“Clexa?” Lexa says, an amused look on her face. “What is that? The C in your name mashed up with mine?”

“Yes…” Clarke rubbed her temple with her fingers. “And I swear if you scream it one more time I will punch you.”

“CLEXA!” Octavia said again, running out of the room before Clarke could stand and tackle her to the ground.

If you listened very closely, you could hear the shouts of “CLEXA” coming from the apartment next door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets sick, and Lexa swoops in to take care of her.

By the time the movie was over, neither girl had noticed the credits. They sat talking, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. Clarke told crazy stories about her time in high school; like the time she glued a teacher’s mug to the table and got sent out of the room for a good fifteen minutes. She had even re-visited her old teacher’s room and saw that her legacy had _literally_ stuck.

Lexa told embarrassing stories about what she and Anya had done in college (well, mostly Anya. Lexa kept watch); Anya had drawn a penis on the blackboard behind the projection screen and covered it up, and Lexa had watched the exit. The next day in class, when the professor went to open it, he hadn’t even looked until it was too late and the entire class was laughing their asses off. Clarke got a kick out of that story, practically crawling into Lexa’s lap with laughter.

“You… you drew… she drew…” Clarke couldn’t even form her sentence, and Lexa found herself breathless with laughter at her own story as well, smiling uncontrollably and resting her forehead on Clarke’s shoulder to steady her breathing. But, it didn’t help very much once she realized the proximity between them.

She lifted her head quickly, leaning back against the couch before she could do anything. She didn’t know what Clarke wanted, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to control herself if she got too close.

Lexa glanced at the clock in Clarke’s living room and her eyes widened. She hopped off the couch in a second, grabbing her phone and checking to make sure that was the right time. Clarke contained her laughter enough to check the time herself. “Whoa, it’s late.”

“Yeah. I have work early tomorrow.” Lexa said as she made her way to the door. “For our date, I was thinking Wednesday night, if you’re not busy?”

“I’m free then.”

“Cool. So I’ll see you Wednesday then?” Lexa said, opening the door. Clarke smiled at her from the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

“Yeah, Lexa. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

Lexa closed the door behind her, heading back over to her own apartment. Before entering, she pressed her ear against the door and listened for anything so she could be prepared. It was quiet, and she was sure the coast would be clear. She slipped inside, heading to her room down the hall. She didn’t hear any moaning or panting, so that was good. But Raven’s shirt was in the middle of the hallway from when they had moved to Costia’s room. Lexa stepped over it carefully, making her way to her room.

When she got in, she changed into pajamas and slid under the covers. She set her phone on the nightstand beside her and shut her eyes, falling into a deep slumber.

She was jerked out of her slumber when a buzzing noise filled her ears. She opened one eye cautiously when she noticed her phone was beeping with messages. She grabbed her phone, muttering profanities under her breath.

She shut up when she realized the messages were from Clarke.

Clarke

Lexa, I need help

Clarke

I need u

Clarke

Pls

Clarke

Ur prob not awake, I’m sorry

Lexa

No, no, Clarke, what’s wrong?

Clarke

I need u

Lexa

What is it?

Clarke

Can u come over?

Lexa

Right now? Is it an emergency?

Clarke

Kind of

Lexa

I’ll be there in a min.

Lexa jumped out of bed, pulling a pair of sweatpants on over her shorts to make herself more presentable. When she reached Clarke’s apartment, she was surprised it was already unlocked. Lexa made her way inside, going to the bedrooms in the back. She didn’t know which one was Clarke, until she noticed the familiar grey backpack Clarke owned sitting in front of a door.

Lexa opened it cautiously, peeking inside. The room was pitch black, and the only light came from where Lexa stood at the doorway. She could see Clarke sitting up on the bed; she was grabbing the edges and leaning forward slightly, and from here it looked like she was shaking.

“Clarke?” Lexa said quietly, stepping in completely and waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before stepping in further. “What’s wrong?”

“N-Nightm-mare.” She choked out, turning around to face Lexa. Lexa could tell she was crying, and her breathing was all out of whack. Lexa climbed onto the bed and pulled Clarke into an embrace, running her hand over the blonde girl’s hair as she whispered to Clarke that it would be okay.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lexa asked once she had pulled Clarke under the covers with her. The other girl had her arms wrapped around Lexa’s waist, and her face pressed into Lexa’s side. Lexa brushed the girl’s hair with her fingers, wiping the tears from her cheeks. There was no response at first, but then the blonde nodded against her side.

“ _He_ w-was here.” She finally breathed out.

Lexa was confused, but still said, “Well, _he’s_ not here. _I’m_ here. And I’ll always keep you safe.” Lexa paused momentarily before kissing the blonde’s forehead. She was incredibly warm. Lexa pulled up and rested the back of her hand on the other girl’s forehead; she was burning up. “Clarke, are you sick?”

“N-No…”

“But you’re burning up.” Lexa said, hopping off her bed and trudging over to the bathroom. “You’re a doctor, you have to have a thermometer in here. Where is it?”

“First draw on your right. The t-top one.” Clarke said. She found the thermometer behind a box of band aids and returned to the bed, telling Clarke to open up. She did as she was told, closing her mouth over the thermometer until it beeped.

Lexa pulled it out of her mouth. _102.1_.

“Clarke, you have a fever. A high one.” She showed her the number. Clarke blinked rapidly at the number.

“I can’t read it without my g-glasses.”

“102.1,” Lexa said. “And you’re shivering.” She noted, looking Clarke up and down. She was shaking all over, and she had goosebumps running up and down her bare arms. “I’m taking you to the hospital. Come on.”

“I’m fine. It’s j-just a cold.”

“Clarke, you’re a doctor. You know this isn’t a cold.” Lexa practically had to drag her out of bed, and the entire trip to the car she had to hold her up. She wrapped one of Clarke’s arms around her shoulders and wrapped one of her hands around Clarke’s waist to keep her from falling over. Clarke kept trying to say she was _fine_ , but clearly she wasn’t.

Lexa reached the hospital in record time, dragging Clarke out of the car and into the hospital. Because Clarke was a doctor there, she would most likely get help before any of the other patients. Lexa looked at the time. It was about 4:30 in the morning, and as she sat in the waiting room- Clarke snoring loudly on her shoulder -she found her mind wondering to what Octavia had said when she had first met the girl. Clarke had been in a relationship in the past. Maybe that was the ‘he’ she had been referring to? Maybe something happened to him, or he broke her heart-

“Clarke Griffin?” a nurse said. Lexa looked up, nodding to the nurse.

She turned to Clarke, who was still snoring on her shoulder. “Clarke.” She whispered. “Clarke, come on.” She stirred out of her dream, blinking the haze away and allowing Lexa to pull her up out of the seat. She stumbled before Lexa caught her, helping her make her way to the room.

“What was her temperature when you first took it?” the nurse asked when they finally reached one of the rooms.

“102.1”

“Alright. Dr. Griffin?” Clarke looked up at the sound of her name, pushing her hair out of her face. In this lighting she looked really bad; there were dark circles under her eyes, which were bloodshot, and she looked extremely pale. “I’m going to take your temperature again. Is that okay?” Clarke nodded, allowing the nurse to take her temperature. “102.2.”

Lexa watched Clarke with worry, nervously biting at her nails. “I’m f-fine, Lexa.” Clarke reassured her, waving a hand around dismissively. “It’s just a cold.”

The nurse gave Lexa a look before typing things into her computer. “Have you been feeling dizzy at all?”

“She can barely stand.” Lexa said for her. “I’m sure she’d be on the ground if I hadn’t helped her here.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re _not_.” Lexa said angrily, crossing her arms and looked up at Clarke from her seat, where she sat slumped over. “You’re sick, Clarke. How did you even get this sick?”

“I’ve felt weird the p-past two days.” Clarke admitted, noting Lexa’s serious expression and realizing there was probably something wrong with her. “I j-just shrugged it off as nothing.”

Lexa sighed; finally, they were getting somewhere.

“Did you treat anyone in this condition, Dr. Griffin?” the nurse asked. “It’s quite possible you might have caught it from them.”

“I don’t t-treat people like this.” Clarke said.

“Friends or family?” the nurse asked.

“No… Well, my friend M-Monty.” She said, her face contorting with focus. “Yeah. I think so.” The nurse typed on her computer for a bit, leaving Lexa a moment to really take in the sight of Clarke; she seemed to be holding herself up on the table with her arms, which were shaking slightly. Lexa stayed in her seat though. She wasn’t Clarke’s girlfriend or anything, so why would she get up to comfort her. _Because that’s what a friend would do_.

So it was because of that reason that Lexa found herself wrapping an arm around Clarke, holding her steady a moment later.

“Miss, I’m not sure that’s the best idea.” The nurse warned.

“I don’t care.” Lexa said, pulling Clarke closer. Clarke put her head on Lexa’s shoulder, closing her eyes and letting out a rough cough.

When the nurse was done with her questions, she said a doctor would be in any minute. Lexa sat next to Clarke, holding her close while the other girl fell asleep- yet again –on her shoulder. When the doctor finally arrived, Lexa shook her awake. He let them know Clarke had a bad case of the flu, and that she needed loads of bed rest and water.

Lexa was leading her down the hallway, Clarke shuffling beside her. Clarke had said she could walk, settling for Lexa’s demand to loop their arms together.

Clarke tilted her head in Lexa’s direction, opening her mouth as if to say something before she turned away and coughed into her arm.

“It’s okay. Just let me get you home.” Lexa said, rubbing the blonde’s back before looping their arms together again.

“Th...” another cough, “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Lexa looked back out at the hallway, helping her down the stairs to the lobby, where they signed out and headed to Lexa’s car.

They were driving down the road when Lexa got a call. She answered it, whispering into the phone as not to wake the sleeping blonde beside her. “ _Hello?_ ”

“ _Why are you whispering?_ ” Octavia’s whispered response came back.

“Clarke’s asleep.” Lexa said not-as-quietly, letting a small smile form on her face.

“Oh. That’s why I was calling. I woke up to check on Clarke, and she wasn’t there. Why’s she with you?” Octavia said, worry lacing her tone. Lexa wondered why Octavia had been checking on Clarke. Did she already know Clarke was sick?

“She had a fever. I took her to the hospital.”

“How bad is it?” Octavia said. Lexa heard a rustling noise before silence. She figured Octavia had sat down or moved something.

“She has the flu.” Lexa said. “Probably from how she’s always running around and doesn’t take any breaks to check on herself.”

“And then she has to be stubborn and deny that she’s not okay.” Octavia said, stirring a small laugh from Lexa.

“Yeah.”

“Are you guys on your way back now?” Octavia asked.

“Yeah. Like I said, Clarke’s asleep.” Lexa paused. “Why were you checking on her, anyway?”

“It was just oddly quiet.” Octavia said. “Usually she wakes up in the middle of the night and starts painting or drawing, and I just wanted to make sure she was asleep.”

“You’re a good friend.” Lexa stated, glancing at Clarke’s sleeping form momentarily before looking back out at the road. “Hey, do you think you could help me bring her up? I don’t want to wake her up again.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be waiting in the lobby.” With that, they both hung up.

When Lexa finally arrived, she got out of the car and walked over to Clarke’s side, opening the door. She slid her arm under Clarke’s legs, and her other under Clarke’s armpits before locking the door and carrying Clarke through the parking lot and into the lobby. Clarke was surprisingly light, Lexa thought.

Octavia held doors open for Lexa, and pressed the elevator buttons. She offered to take Clarke herself, but Lexa denied her requests. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she liked carrying Clarke. She was _so_ warm (probably from the fever) and soft, and delicate.

When they got back to Clarke, Raven, and Octavia’s apartment, Octavia unlocked the door and held it open for Lexa, closing it behind them. She held Clarke’s bedroom door open as well, pulling the covers aside so Lexa could set her down. Lexa pulled them back over Clarke, brushing her hair out of her face before turning around and moving as if to leave. She didn’t get far before she felt surprisingly cold hands wrap around her wrist.

“D-Don’t… go.” She heard Clarke’s weak voice say behind her. Lexa turned around, looking down at the blonde. “Please.”

Lexa looked at Octavia, who gave a small nod and smile before closing the door behind her. Lexa pulled her shoes off and crawled into bed beside Clarke, pulling her close. Clarke wrapped her arms around Lexa’s stomach, burying her face in Lexa’s neck. Lexa kissed the top of Clarke’s head and muttered soothing things to her until she felt her breathing even out, and Clarke was asleep.

Lexa fell asleep soon after.

\---

When Lexa woke up the next morning, Clarke still clinging to her side, she tried to find a way to break free from the blonde long enough to make her some breakfast. She peeled Clarke’s arms from around herself and got out of bed soundlessly, fixing her hair into a ponytail and making her way out of the room to the kitchen.

Because Clarke was sick, Lexa figured she should make something that wouldn’t irritate her throat. She looked up some good recipes and finally decided on eggs and bacon, along with some pancakes she whipped up with the mix they had in their cabinets.

When it was done, she set two plates up at the table and went to retrieve Clarke. A twinge of panic rushed through her chest when she saw that Clarke was no longer in bed. Her attention was pulled towards the bathroom when there was a small thumping noise and a quiet, “Shit.” Lexa approached the door and knocked lightly.

“Clarke? You okay?”

“Yeah.” She heard Clarke cough lightly. “Just taking my medicine. This says take one in the morning and one at night?”

“That’s what the doctor said.” Lexa replied. “I made breakfast.”

“That’s where you were? I thought you left.” Clarke said, her tone picking up at the mention of food.

“I left… to make breakfast.” Lexa stated, a small smile pulling at her lips. “I hope you like eggs and bacon. And pancakes.”

“I do indeed like all of those things.” The door opened and Lexa stepped back, taking in the sight of Clarke. She looked exhausted, her eyes only slightly less red than they were last night. The bags under her eyes still stuck out, and she just had that tired look sick people always tend to have. Clarke grabbed her glasses from the bedside table and pushed them onto her face, doing that cute thing she did when she pushed the glasses up on her nose.

Lexa smiled to herself, motioning for Clarke to head into the kitchen.

They sat down across from each other, Clarke muttering about how Lexa didn’t have to do this for her and Lexa muttering for her to stop muttering and eat the damned food.

When Clarke finally shut up and took a bite, she moaned and looked across the table at Lexa like she was a god. “How do you make eggs like this? Raven always makes eggs and they always taste like shit.”

“The secret is cheese. No eggs taste good without cheese. Preferably cheddar.” Lexa stated, taking a bite of her eggs.

“Cheddar is the superior cheese.” Clarke agreed, taking another bite.

They ate in silence for a couple of minutes before Lexa spoke again. “You seem to be doing better than yesterday.”

“Yeah.” Clarke said. “Fevers can be random. Sometimes they’re high and you feel like shit, and then you get some much needed rest and they tone down.”

They ate the rest of the meal quietly, each of them occasionally stealing glances at the other. When Clarke was done she watched Lexa finish her food before saying, “Thank you. For taking care of me.” Clarke said. “You didn’t have to come over last night when I texted but you did. I don’t know what state I would have been in if you didn’t come help me.”

“It was not a problem, Clarke.” Lexa replied, grabbing both of their plates and placing them in Clarke’s sink. Clarke was standing up from the table when Lexa turned back around, and was about to fall face-first onto the floor before Lexa caught her. “Here, let’s get you back to bed.”

“No.” Clarke said, “The couch. If you’re putting me under bed rest I want full access to a television.”

Lexa let out a small laugh before helping Clarke to the couch, grabbing her a blanket and sitting down across from her on one of the single chairs.

“Don’t you have work today?” Clarke asked.

“No. I took off.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I _wanted_ to.” Lexa said. “I care about you, Clarke.”

Just then, a door opened and closed down the hall, and Octavia appeared from around the corner. “How you doing there, Clarke?” she leaned over and inspected Clarke’s face, grabbing both sides and tilting her head around.

“Octavia, I’m fine. Let go of my face.”

“Mhm. You’re ‘fine’. That’s why Lexa had to carry you inside last night.” Octavia said sarcastically, letting go of her face and walking in to the kitchen. She made herself a bowl of cereal and sat down in another of the single chairs.

“You carried me in last night?” Clarke asked Lexa. She hadn’t remembered being carried inside.

“Yeah. You were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you.” Lexa’s cheeks reddened, and she looked away, down at her hands in her lap.

“Well,” Clarke looked flustered. “Thank you. But you didn’t have to risk getting sick for me.”

“I’d risk anything for you, Clarke.” Lexa didn’t know if she was coming on too strong, but it was how she felt.

“Aww,” Octavia said, looking between the two. “I’ve gotta go to work. If anything even remotely related to Clexa happens, call me.”

“Will do,” Clarke called after her, wrapping the blanket closer around herself and looking over at Lexa curiously.

Lexa was about to say something before the door opened, and Raven came stumbling into the apartment. “Hey girls.” She smiled a wide smile, dropping her jacket on the back of one of the chairs in the kitchen. “How was your evening?”

When she sat down in the chair that Octavia had been sitting in and caught sight of Clarke, her eyes widened. “Are you sick, Griffin?”

“Yes.” Clarke sighed, looking over at her. “But I’m fine.”

“Is she fine?” Raven turned to Lexa, who was watching the exchange carefully. “Why wasn’t I informed you were sick, Griffin?”

Clarke said, “I’m fine,” at the same time that Lexa said, “She has a fever.”

“You have a fever?” Raven did the same thing Octavia did, grabbing both sides of Clarke’s face and examining her. “She tends to under exaggerate just how bad she feels.” She told Lexa. “So if she says she’s fine, she usually isn’t.”

“I’m fine.”

“Your eyes are bloodshot, your forehead is burning up, and I can tell you have congestion, Griffin. Did you take her to the doctor?” Raven asked Lexa. Lexa nodded, sitting up in her seat and looking over at Clarke with concern.

“I’m fine.”

“Clarke Griffin,” Raven said, “If you do not stop repeating those words I am going to punch you. Sick or not, I’m going to punch you.”

“Violent.” Clarke said. “But I know you won’t punch a sick person. I’m fine.”

“Curse you, Griffin.” Raven said. “Curse you and your stupid logic and reason.”

Raven stood and walked out of the living room, grabbing her jacket and putting it on once more. “I have work. Lexa, do you think you could keep an eye on her? Unless you have work, then I’ll just install a makeshift nanny cam.”

“I don’t mind.” Lexa waved a dismissive hand.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Go to work, Raven.”

“I can totally take off, if you need me to.”

“Raven, go to work.” Clarke said, glancing over the edge of the couch at her. “I’ll be _fine_.”

Raven pointed at her with one of those looks that a mom gets when they’re annoyed. “I don’t appreciate the tongue, missy. Be good for Lexa. If I get one call- _one call_ –I’m taking away your phone and grounding you for a week.”

“Yes, mother.” Clarke said sarcastically, plopping back down and glancing over at Lexa with a _kill me now_ look. Lexa just laughed, waving goodbye to Raven, who was still going on about how disrespectful and rude kids are these days.

When the door closed behind her, Lexa stood and headed over to the kitchen. She started rummaging around in the cabinets, looking for the ingredients to make soup for Clarke.

“What are you doing?” Lexa glanced over to the living room, where she saw two blue eyes peering at her from just above the edge of the couch.

“Making you soup. My mother used to make me soup when I got sick. It always cheered me up.” Lexa got quiet when she realized she was rambling, turning her focus to the task in front of her. Clarke didn’t say anything, just sat up straighter and watched Lexa with a small smile on her face.

After a while, when Lexa had the soup on the stove, Clarke spoke up, “Why are you so hell bent on taking care of me?”

Lexa froze, stopping mid-stir. After a few moments of silence, she turned to Clarke, who was watching her with a curious look on her face.

“I don’t know.” She replied honestly. Lexa had no clue why she was so head over heels for the pretty blonde next door. It could’ve been her charm, or her pretty blue eyes, but Lexa knew it wasn’t that. She had never met anyone quite like Clarke before, and for some reason, she didn’t want to let her go. “I just care about you.” She decided on, knowing full well the blonde wouldn’t be satisfied with that answer.

“You’ve told me that already, Lexa. Raven and Octavia care about me, but do you see them spending the night in my room or carrying me over their shoulder or making me soup? The most Raven offered was to install a nanny cam.” Clarke said, letting out a small laugh. “Look, I know how I feel about you. And I think… maybe you feel the same way?”

Lexa wasn’t sure what she was implying.

“Maybe?” Lexa said. She knew she liked Clarke- like, _really_ liked Clarke –but she wasn’t sure if the blonde was implying that she felt that way about Lexa. She could have been implying it was more of a close friendship, for all Lexa knew.

Clarke fell back onto the couch again, disappearing from Lexa’s view. She thought she heard her mutter, “You’re impossible.” But it could have been her imagination.

When the soup was finished, she prepared a tray with a bowl of it and a bottle of water, carrying it over to Clarke and setting it in her lap.

“I could have gotten up to eat it.”

“Nonsense.” Lexa said.

Clarke stuck her tongue out childishly before taking a bite of Lexa’s famous chicken noodle soup. “This is really good. Was it your mom’s recipe?”

Lexa let out a small laugh before sitting down on the carpet beside Clarke. “No. I got it from a cooking magazine.” Clarke let out a small laugh as well, but hers was cut off by a coughing fit. Lexa looked up at her with concern, grabbing the water and unscrewing the cap before handing it to her. She took a sip, thanking Lexa.

“I’ll only say serious and unamusing things from now on, until you’re better.” Lexa said seriously.

Clarke shook her head with a smile, taking a bite from the soup before responding. “As fun as that sounds, I can handle a funny comment here and there. You just caught me a little off guard there.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Clarke said. “Lexa…”

“Yeah?”

“So about that date you asked me on…”

“Yeah?”

“You said Wednesday, right?” Clarke said. “Is that still when we’ll be going?”

“If you’re better by then, yes.” Lexa said. “But if I can’t say anything remotely amusing without you falling into a coughing fit by then, we’ll have to postpone it.”

“Okay.” Clarke sighed, taking the last sip of soup and setting the tray on the coffee table beside them. “Can you cuddle with me?”

“S-Sure.” Lexa said nervously, standing and crawling under the blanket with Clarke. There was barely enough room for two people to lie across it like they were, so Clarke was basically just laying on top of Lexa. She wrapped her arms around Clarke, holding her as close as she could. She felt Clarke breath out a small sigh, her breath fanning Lexa’s collarbone.

When Clarke’s breathing evened out, she knew the blonde was asleep. Lexa turned the television off and sat there in silence, watching the other girl sleep. It might have been creepy, if they hadn’t grown so close in the past few days.

It didn’t take long for Lexa to fall asleep herself.

\---

Lexa snapped awake when she heard the sound of two laughing girls and the front door closing. Clarke- miraculously –was still asleep, so Lexa shushed the two. They got quiet, coming further into the room and taking in the scene before them.

Octavia had a wide, open-mouthed grin and was gesturing between Clarke and Lexa to Raven, who was also freaking out. They were doing it silently, just standing there and pointing at Lexa and Clarke and making weird excited faces.

Lexa just stared at them, her face remaining blank.

Octavia gave Lexa a thumbs up before shoving Raven into the kitchen, where the two continued their discussion quietly.

“They just silently gestured to the both of us, didn’t they?” Lexa heard Clarke mutter against her neck. Lexa didn’t answer, just let out a loud laugh, receiving weird looks from the two in the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clexa

Clarke woke the next morning, rolling over and feeling around her for Lexa. When she was greeted by cold sheets, she opened her eyes and sat up. She was no longer tangled up with Lexa on the living room couch, but was instead curled up in her own bed. Part of her was disappointed that Lexa wasn’t here, but the other part was kind of glad because she had seriously _awful_ morning breath.

When she saw the neatly folded note on her nightstand, she smiled and opened it carefully.

_Clarke,_

_I had to leave early for work. I thought you might be more comfortable in your bed._

_I took your temperature. It’s lowered to 99.8. Octavia said she would watch you because she has off work today._

_There’s extra soup in the fridge. There’s not as much as there was before Octavia and Raven got back last night, but it should be enough for lunch._

_Have a good day,_

_Xoxo Lexa_

Clarke smiled, setting the note back down on her nightstand before heading to the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. She settled on a pair of shorts and a tank top, grabbing one of the blank canvases shoved in the corner of her room and heading out to the balcony to paint.

When she reached the living room, which was on the way to the balcony, she saw Octavia curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her, flicking through channels on tv. She looked up and saw Clarke, sitting up immediately and grabbing a bottle of pills. She plucked one out silently, grabbing a bottle of water off the coffee table as well and holding them both out to Clarke. Clarke stuck her tongue out before taking the pill and plopping it in her mouth, downing it with a gulp of water.

“Lexa carried you back to your room last night.”

“I’m aware.”

“She left you a note.”

“I saw it.”

Octavia nodded, noticing the canvas by Clarke’s feet. “Going to paint?”

“Yes.”

“Not in that. It’s freezing outside.” Octavia commented, doing a once over of Clarke’s attire. She knew Clarke always painted on the balcony, and she knew Clarke would be stubborn and say she would be fine. “Don’t even deny it, Griffin. Go put something warm on.” She pointed towards the hallway where all the bedrooms were; Clarke simply sighed and turned around, leaving her canvas against the couch as she trudged back to her room to put on sweatpants and a hoodie.

When she was dressed all warm, she went back outside with her canvas and started painting. Octavia called her in for lunch when the hour struck, heating up the soup for her and preparing a glass of water. Clarke tried to tell her she could handle doing those things on her own, but she was insistent on babying Clarke.

Clarke got a text halfway through her lunch, and smiled when she saw it was from Lexa.

**Lexa**

How’s ur day been?

**Clarke**

Why did u let Octavia be in charge of me??

**Lexa**

Sheesh. Raven had work, so she was ur only option.

**Clarke**

She won’t stop suffocating me. I couldn’t even heat up my own damned soup.

**Lexa**

What a tragedy.

**Clarke**

I’m being serious!

**Lexa**

;)

They texted for a few more minutes, mainly discussing stupid things like the weather or what women’s soccer team was kicking ass, but enjoying talking to each other regardless of the topic. Clarke was about to call Lexa so she could hear her voice, but she said she had to get back to work.

They made plans to hang out that evening. Lexa offered to bring over Thai, or pizza, and Clarke offered to drag out her box set of Friends, the greatest show ever created. Lexa had texted, ‘it’s a date ;)’ before saying she really had to go before her boss murdered her, which Clarke decided would not be good for their relationship.

Clarke spent the rest of the day watching reality television with Octavia, occasionally getting up to grab a snack. Octavia knew she couldn’t stop her, but she still warned her that everything she ate would go to her ass eventually.

Lexa came over around seven, baring Thai food _and_ pizza. She told Clarke, ‘one cannot simply choose between the two,’ as she set them down on the counter.

“What do you mean ‘ _one cannot simply choose between the two’_?” Clarke asked. “It’s very simple. I believe Einstein was the one who made up this great thing called ‘ _Eeny meany miny moe’_.”

“Einstein did not come up with that.”

“You get my point.” Clarke said, laughing as she took a slice of pizza. “Thai and pizza are good on their own, but you can’t just _mix_ them.”

“Well, then save some Thai for lunch tomorrow.” Lexa offered, shrugging as she sat down on the couch beside Clarke with her food. Clarke had already started the first episode of Friends and shooed Octavia away.

“It’s not the same.” Clarke said, falling back on the couch dramatically.

“Shut up,” Lexa said, letting out a small laugh. Clarke laughed as well, stopping only to let out a small cough. Lexa stopped laughing and grabbed one of the water bottles Octavia had left out earlier, opening it and handing it to Clarke. She took it willingly, muttering a small thanks as she took a sip.

When Clarke had composed herself, she paused the television and looked at Lexa directly. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything, Clarke.” Lexa stated as if it should be obvious. Clarke smiled at that; a soft smile that made Lexa’s chest warm. Lexa liked that smile, and decided she wanted to try and bring it out more often.

“Can you model for me?” Lexa’s mouth parted slightly in surprise. Clarke took this as a bad sign and frowned, taking back her request. “You don’t have to, I was just wondering…”

“No, I would love to.” Lexa said. She smirked and slid closer to Clarke, looking up at her with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Now, when will this modeling take place? And how many articles of clothing will I require?”

Clarke let out a loud laugh, looking down at Lexa with a huge grin. “Why did you say it like that?”

Lexa shrugged, “It’s funnier when you say suggestive things in that way.”

“True.” Clarke agreed, nodding with a huge grin. “But for real, will you model for me? You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.”

“Clarke, I’ll model for you.” Lexa assured her, propping her head on Clarke’s shoulder. She felt Clarke’s head fall onto her own, and the two sat like that watching episodes of Friends for the rest of the night.

\---

When Clarke woke up, she was (yet again) lying in her bedroom, under the comfy covers of her bed. She sat up and glanced at the bed side table, where she saw another note.

_Clarke,_

_Sorry to leave you alone again, but I had work. O had work as well, so Raven will be taking care of you._

Clarke grunted; she’d had enough of them babying her. She was fine now, and could take care of herself. She continued reading.

_Anyway, text me if you need anything. I prepared a chicken sandwich for you. It’s in the fridge._

_Xoxo,_

_Lexa_

Clarke smiled before setting the note beside the other one (that she had kept) before heading off to the shower. When she was done, she tossed on a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt before making her way to the living room.

Raven sat on the couch, eating a protein bar. She was in her pajamas still, and had her feet pulled under her. Raven noticed her come in and smiled. “Good morning, Griffin.” She put down her bar and held up a pill and a water bottle. “Here are your meds, m’lady.”

“Thanks, Rae.” Clarke popped the pill in her mouth and downed it with a sip of water. She screwed the cap back on and set it on the coffee table before sitting down next to Raven on the couch.

“Can I ask you something, Griffin?”

“Yeah…”

“How come you and Lexa haven’t… you know, solidified your relationship?” Raven asked. Clarke paused for a second, thinking about the answer. She liked Lexa, and she knew Lexa liked her… but she didn’t know why neither of them had formed anything yet. They had been on several “dates”, surely one of them should have asked by now. Clarke wondered why Lexa hadn’t yet.

“I… don’t know.”

“You should ask her out.” Raven said. “I can tell you like her, and it’ll be good for you to date someone new.” Clarke hadn’t dated anyone since Finn, and she had been keen on staying single forever. Looking back on previous Clarke’s thoughts, she didn’t have a very good idea of moving on. But this Clarke was ready, and wanted to pursue something with Lexa.

“Yeah… Yeah, I guess. I’ll ask her on Wednesday.” Clarke agreed, nodding her head. She and Lexa would be going on their date then, so it only made sense.

“So… how you feeling?” Raven asked, tilting her head as she eyed Clarke. “You look better, that’s for sure.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Clarke said. “I feel fine, just a small headache from time to time.”

“Good.”

They sat in silence for most of the day, only getting up to either use the bathroom or grab a snack. Clarke got up around lunch time and ate the chicken sandwich Lexa left for her (which was fantastic) and one other time to grab her sketchpad.

When dinner time came around, Raven offered to take Clarke out for dinner. Clarke agreed almost immediately, considering she had seen little of the outside world in the past few days.

She decided to take her to some random restaurant called Grounders, which was supposed to be crazy delicious, though neither of them had been before. Which was surprising, considering they’d lived there so long. But then again, it was expensive, and they liked to save money for other things.

When they got there, they were immediately greeted by a hostess who offered to take them to a table. When they sat down, Raven began talking.

“So, you know how I’ve been working on that new device?”

“Yes, Raven.” Clarke smirked, knowing where this was going. She propped her elbow on the table and glanced at the menu, occasionally looking up at Raven and nodding to let her know she was still listening.

Raven went on and on about this new ‘super-amazing’ gadget that would ‘change the future forever’.

When the time came to order, Clarke looked up and smiled at the waitress. She had long dark hair, and dark blue eyes. “Hello, my name is Anya. I’ll be your waitress for the evening…”

“Wait, Anya?” Clarke said. “You wouldn’t happen to be Lexa’s Anya, would you?”

“Lexa Woods?”

“Yes.”

“I am her best friend, yes.” She nodded, looking down at Clarke and narrowing her eyes. “Are you Clarke?” Clarke nodded. “Lexa told me about you.” She seemed uncertain what to do, so she just kept looking down at Clarke with her eyes narrowed.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Clarke held her hand out. Anya didn’t take it, instead she kept staring down at Clarke with a frown on her face. “Is everything okay?”

“I’ve heard about you, Clarke Griffin. If you hurt my friend, I will be very angry.” She turned on her heels and walked away, cutting the conversation short. Clarke was about to call out for her, but it seemed pointless so she stayed in her seat.

“Damn.” Raven said. “Well, she’s a bitch.”

“She’s just worried about Lexa.”

“Wait, did she say she ‘heard about you’?” Raven sat up, thinking for a moment. “Yeah, she did. What do you think _that_ meant?”

“Maybe she knows someone in my art class, or someone at the hospital.” Clarke shrugged. “Either way, it’s clear she hates my guts.”

“Whatever. Once she sees you and Lexa are legit, she’ll shut the hell up and learn to live with you.” Raven said.

A new waitress appeared at the table, this one smiling and polite as she took their order. When the waitress had left with the promise of returning with food, Raven immediately jumped back into her previous discussion about her new gadget.

Clarke just leaned back and nodded every once in a while to show Raven she was listening, when she really wasn’t. Her mind wandered to the kinds of things Anya must have told Lexa about her, and what it might mean for their relationship. What if Lexa hadn’t done anything with Clarke because she wasn’t sure she could trust her?

Clarke felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and pulled it out to glance at the text. It was from Lexa. “Hang on Rae, Lexa’s texting.” Raven simply nodded, smiling before glancing down at her own phone, probably to text Octavia.

Lexa

Just got off work. Wanna hang?

Clarke

Can’t. Raven took me to dinner like the civilized person she is.

Lexa

Are u up for that? Do you feel dizzy, lightheaded… Coughing, sneezing?

Clarke

Lex, I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. The only thing I have to be afraid of is ur friend, Anya.

Lexa

Oh god. Ur at Grounders?

Clarke

Yes

Lexa

What did she say?

Clarke

Just that she had heard about me and she didn’t want me hurting u. Why would she think I’d do that?

Lexa

She’s overprotective… and she heard a few things about your breakup with that guy. She just didn’t want me to end up having a broken heart in the end, is all.

Clarke

Lexa

Yeah, I’m sorry about her. On another note, after your dinner with Raven, can I come over? Or u come here?

Clarke

Sounds great. See u then ;)

Lexa

;) bye

Clarke set her phone down on the table and looked back over at Raven, who had a smile on her face. Clarke’s eye narrowed before she leaned forward, snatching the phone from Raven.

“Hey!” Raven said. “Give it back, Griffin.”

“Ooh, from _Costia_.” Clarke said. She was about to start reading when she spotted something _really_ inappropriate, then frowned. “Gross. You sext with Costia?”

“No…” Raven snatched her phone back, blushing slightly.

“Liar.”

“Shut up.”

“Never.”

“What, like you don’t sext with Lexa.” Raven stuck her tongue out, sending a quick text to Costia before putting her phone down again.

“I don’t, because it’s kind of gross.” Clarke wrinkled her nose together, making a disgusted face. Raven just kicked her lightly under the table, telling her to shut up. Clarke laughed, tossing her head back at Raven’s embarrassment.

When the food arrived, they immediately started eating. The food was so good, each of them let out small moans when they put the first bite in their mouth. Clarke laughed at the face Raven was making, receiving yet another kick to the shins under the table.

When they had finished their meals they paid and left, Clarke wondering what had happened to Anya. She hadn’t seen her come out of the back room all night.

When they got back to the apartment, they saw a sleeping Octavia curled up with a sleeping Lincoln; one of the Star Wars movies playing on the television. Clarke shut off the tv, telling Raven she was going to her room. She asked that if Lexa arrived, that she send her to her room, since the living room was occupied.

When she got in, she picked up her sketchbook and drew for a bit. She decided to draw one of the pictures on her bulletin board of her, Raven, and Octavia. She was about halfway through drawing Raven, who sat in the middle with her arms around the two of them, before a knock came at her door.

“Come in,” she called, not looking up from her sketchbook until she heard the familiar sound of Lexa’s voice behind her.

“Hey, Clarke.” She greeted. Clarke dropped her sketchbook, looking up and grinning at her.

“Hi.”

“So, um, there was something I wanted to ask you…” Lexa dove right in, taking a seat on Clarke’s bed. She was dressed in sweatpants and a tank top, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. Some of the hair was hanging over her left shoulder, and Clarke would have loved to draw her then and there if the topic didn’t sound important.

“Yeah?”

“We’ve been on a few dates…” Lexa began, fiddling with the frayed sheets on Clarke’s bed. Clarke could feel the nerves in her stomach growing by the second. “And I… I really like you. And I think… do you like me too?”

“Yes.” Clarke said immediately, without having to think about the words escaping her lips. It felt right, being with Lexa.

“Okay, that’s good.” Lexa said, nodding to herself. Clarke let out a small chuckle, smiling over at her. This gave Lexa a newfound bravery, and she finally let out her question. “Would you consider being my girlfriend, Clarke?”

Clarke’s smile grew significantly, and Clarke thought that it might split her face open at any minute. She stood and crawled across the bed to where Lexa sat. She plopped down next to her, staring directly into her eyes. “Yes. Yes, I would love that.” Clarke smiled, grabbing Lexa’s hands and holding them between her own. “I was going to ask _you_ , but you beat me to it.”

“Oh.” She saw Lexa’s eyes drift down to her lips momentarily.

“Mhm.” Clarke said, sliding closer. “I even planned it all out.”

“Yeah?” Lexa looked her in the eyes. “Sorry... I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“Don’t apologize, Lexa.”

She gave Clarke a sheepish smile, looking down at their interlocked hands.

“If I had asked you out, it would have been a little more like this.” Clarke leaned forward so that her lips just barely brushed Lexa’s. She felt Lexa breath in quickly, parting her lips slightly in surprise. Clarke’s eye drifted from Lexa’s eyes, to her nose, to her lips, then back up to her eyes again before she closed the space between them, pressing her lips to Lexa’s.

Lexa let out a small moan, tilting her head to the side and kissing back, hard. Clarke felt hands find their way to the sides of her face, and put her own on Lexa’s hips, pulling Lexa into her lap. Lexa’s legs wrapped around Clarke’s waist, her arms wrapping around Clarke’s neck as she deepened the kiss.

One of Clarke’s hands found its way up to Lexa’s hair, where it removed the ponytail. Lexa leaned back and shook her hair out of the way before reuniting her lips with Clarke’s. She parted her lips when she felt Lexa’s tongue on her bottom lip, allowing her entrance to Clarke’s mouth. She felt Lexa’s tongue roam the inside of her mouth and let out a small moan when Lexa bit at her bottom lip.

Clarke pushed her back on the bed, holding her shoulders down as she swept across Lexa’s neck with her tongue, biting occasionally. Lexa gasped, her grip in Clarke’s hair tightening.

Clarke brought her head back up to meet Lexa’s lips with hers for a short kiss before she sat up and looked down at Lexa, who was panting.

“That’s how I would have asked.” Clarke said.

“For the record, my answer would have been yes.” Lexa breathed out, trailing a finger across Clarke’s thigh. Clarke let out a small laugh, falling down on the bed beside Lexa. She felt Lexa’s arms wrap around her, pulling Clarke against her.

“Good to know.” Clarke sighed quietly, “Good to know…”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa go to Anya's for dinner.
> 
> Eliza Taylor vine references.

Lexa didn’t know what to do when she got a text from Anya the next morning demanding a talk; in person.

She had woken up before Clarke, who lay snoring quietly in Lexa’s arms. Lexa was admiring how cute her little snore was when her phone started beeping on the nightstand beside her. She picked it up, and read the messages.

**Anya**

We need to talk. In person.

**Anya**

Now, Lexa

**Anya**

LEXA.

**Lexa**

Calm your shit woman

**Lexa**

What do you want?

**Anya**

We need to talk. Meet me at your friend’s coffeehouse.

**Lexa**

Fine. I’ll be there in 30 min

Lexa tried her best to detach herself from Clarke without waking her, but saw that she had failed moments later when Clarke sat up along with her.

“Good morning.” Clarke yawned, stretching her arms beside her. “What’re you doing?” she noticed Lexa putting her boots and jacket on, grabbing her phone from the bedside table and standing.

“My friend, Anya. She wants to talk.” Lexa leaned down and gave Clarke a kiss before backing up towards the door. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Clarke gave her a smile. Lexa smiled as well before backing up through the door and heading out of the apartment. She received a few “hellos” from Octavia and Raven, who were on the couch in the living room watching Judge Judy. When she went to leave, Octavia stopped her.

“Where’re you going?”

“I have to meet my friend Anya. Clarke’s already awake, I said bye to her.” Lexa explained. “See you guys-“

“Wait.” Raven cut in. “Are you guys together yet? Is Clexa a thing? Can we fangirl now?”

“Yes, yes, and no.” Lexa said. “It’s annoying.”

She heard the two laughing quietly as she left the apartment, closing the door behind her.

When Lexa got to the coffeehouse, she saw Anya already sitting at one of the booths by the window. She plopped down across from her, sitting her stuff in the seat beside her and looking across the table at Anya, who was still looking down at her phone. Lexa cleared her throat and she looked up, turning her phone off and setting it down.

Lexa ordered a coffee before turning her full attention to Anya.

“Hi.”

“Hello.”

Lexa wasn’t entirely sure what this was about, but she had a pretty good idea who it was about. She didn’t say anything though, just kept staring at Anya, who had a small frown on her face.

It didn’t take long for Anya to say something. “I don’t like her.”

“You don’t even know her, Anya.” Lexa sighed, dropping her hands in her lap.

“I know enough about her that she’s going to break your heart.” Anya said, sitting up straighter and looking down at Lexa.

“What do you know? Huh?” Lexa asked, her voice rising. “All you know is what you heard in those damned rumors your friends tell you. Clarke is so much more than what you think she is.”

“I _think_ her boyfriend broke up with her and now she’s looking for a rebound.” Anya said. “And I _think_ you’re the one that’s going to end up getting hurt in this, Lexa.”

“Her boyfriend broke up with her months ago. She’s over it.” Lexa growled, standing from her seat and looking at Anya with fury written across her face. “And besides, you don’t choose who I have relationships with. Clarke is the best thing that’s happened to me in a while, and I cannot believe you’re trying to ruin my newfound happiness when you haven’t so much as had a real conversation with her yet.”

“You’re right.” Anya stood as well. “I haven’t.” she touched Lexa’s arm, but Lexa pulled it from her grasp and frowned at her, backing up slightly. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you.”

“You don’t need to be. I’m a big girl, I can handle myself.” Lexa said, putting her hands in her pockets.

“Look, bring her to my house tonight and we can all talk and have dinner together. Sound good?” Anya said, sighing in defeat.

“Sure.” Lexa said, picking her stuff up from the seat. “Oh and Clarke and I are sort of dating now. Bye! Have a nice day, Anya!” Lexa said in a rush, hurrying out of the coffeehouse to her car before Anya could retaliate.

She saw her standing in the doorway, her mouth parted slightly as she looked out to where Lexa was, sitting in her car. It was the most flabbergasted she had ever seen her before, but that was quickly gone when she saw her face go into a blank expression.

Lexa drove back to the apartment building, occasionally singing along with the music playing quietly on her radio. She wanted to spend the rest of the day- until dinner -with Clarke. She hoped Raven and Octavia would either be gone, or still be too wrapped up in Judge Judy to notice Clarke and Lexa.

When she pulled into a parking spot, the first thing she noticed was an oddly suspicious person buzzing in at the front of the building. He looked angry, or upset, or both. He shouted at someone on the buzzer before turning around and kicking the trash can nearby. Lexa wondered what the trash can had done to him momentarily before exiting her car and walking by him quickly.

She typed in the code as fast as she could, pulling the door closed and making sure it locked. Clearly he wasn’t a member of the building, and Lexa didn’t trust his actions. He banged on the door behind Lexa, mouthing for her to let him in. She shook her head, entering and walking further into the building. She could hear his angry shouts behind her before she stepped into the elevator.

 _That was weird_ , she thought as she exited the elevator on her floor. She immediately made her way to Clarke’s apartment, knocking on the door quickly and putting on a smile.

It took a moment for the door to open, but when it did, Clarke stood there. She looked tired as hell, and only offered a small smile in return. “Come in.” she said, then quieter. “I thought you were someone else, for a second there.”

“Who?” she seemed startled by the question, as if Lexa wasn’t supposed to hear her earlier statement.

“Nothing, never mind.” She waved a dismissive hand, closing the door and sliding the lock back on. It was weird that she locked it with so many people here, but normal, for you never knew what went on outside your own apartment.

Raven and Octavia were on the balcony, looking over at something below the building. They appeared to be talking about something serious, but it was none of Lexa’s business so she dropped it.

“How was breakfast with Anya?” Clarke asked, grabbing Lexa’s hand and pulling her down on the couch with her. Lexa crossed her legs under her, and watched Clarke as she folded herself in Lexa’s lap, looking up at her with bright blue eyes.

“Good.” Lexa lied only a little, for a good thing _had_ come of breakfast. Anya had agreed to _try_ , at least. “Anya wants to have dinner with us tonight.”

“What?” Clarke said, her eyes widening. “Do I need to buy food to make dinner?”

“No, no,” Lexa let out a small laugh at Clarke’s sudden outburst. “She offered to make dinner.”

“Oh, okay.” Clarke nodded. “I just… She didn’t seem like she liked me much last time, so I wanted to make sure…”

“Yeah, I know.” Lexa nodded, running her hands through Clarke’s hair as she looked down at the other girl with a smile on her face.

“Aww,” Octavia’s voice came from the balcony door. Lexa looked over to see her head peaking around the corner, Raven’s head popping around above hers like in some weird cliché television show.

Clarke sighed below her, but didn’t move. She instead turned so her head and was facing Lexa’s stomach. She wrapped her arms around Lexa’s waist to shield her face from the two who had now entered the room and had moved to get a better view of Lexa and Clarke.

“You guys are so cute.”

“Look at Clarke, snuggling with her.”

“It’s cute.”

“Very cute.”

“They are such goals.”

“Lincoln never cuddles with me like that.”

“Can I take a picture for snapchat?”

“Let her take a picture.”

“I’m taking a picture.”

Clarke grunted before muttering, “I will burn your phone in the fireplace if you even remove it from your pocket.”

Raven had the phone halfway out of her pocket before her eyes widened and she slid it back, frowning. “Common, Clarke. It’s so cute. Just like, turn this way so we can see your face better.”

Lexa’s ear splitting grin earned a frustrated grunt from the blonde in her lap, who looked about ready to push the two off the balcony.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Clarke said sarcastically, turning onto her back so she was looking up at Lexa again.

“Yes.” Lexa replied simply. Clarke sighed again before looking over at Raven and Octavia, who were smiling as they watched the exchange between the two.

“There’s the door,” Clarke pointed to the balcony again. “Leave.”

“How rude,” Octavia put a hand on her heart. “Besides, you can’t kick us out; we live here.”

Clarke stuck her tongue out, making a face at the two. After a minute of awkward silence, Raven’s brow pulled together and she looked at Clarke. “So, uh, what do you want us to do about the _problem?”_

“Nothing. He’ll go away eventually.”

“It doesn’t look like he’s leaving any time soon.” Octavia said. “Should I call Lincoln?”

“Wait,” Lexa cut in. “That guy out front, is he bothering you guys?”

“You saw him?” Clarke looked up at Lexa, her face contorting in fear. “Did he get inside?”

“He looked dangerous, so I made sure the door was locked before I came in… Who is he?” Lexa felt like she already knew the answer.

“Clarke’s insane ex.” Raven said. “Finn.”

Clarke pushed herself out of Lexa’s lap and stood, heading over to the balcony.

“ _Clarke_ ,” Octavia said, heading after her. Lexa stood as well, following the three out to the balcony. Clarke was leaning over the edge, looking down at the boy who was still pounding on the front door.

“Finn!” she yelled. “What the hell do you want?”

The boy looked up from his task, and upon seeing the blonde he backed up and stared up at them, cupping his hands over his mouth. “I want you! I’ve always wanted you!”

“No! You don’t… you don’t want me, you s-stupid son of a bitch!” Clarke yelled. Lexa could see tears forming in her eyes, and she moved past Octavia and Raven, who were in the middle of calling security. Lexa wrapped an arm around Clarke’s waist and maneuvered her away from the balcony’s edge, turning her around to face her.

“Clarke,” she said, grabbing both sides of her face. “Calm down.”

“He won’t… won’t leave me alone.” She said, pointing towards where he was and trying to get loose from Lexa’s grip.

“Clarke, Clarke.” Lexa held her firmly in place, trying to catch her eye. “Clarke, Octavia and Raven are handling it. He’ll be gone soon, okay? Just come back inside.”

Lexa heard her mutter something along the lines of an ‘okay’ before she allowed the three of them to pull her back into the safety of the apartment.

“Lexa, I promise I'm over him- he just pushes my buttons when he does stuff like this. I’m sorry you had to see that. He just makes me so-"

“Clarke.” Lexa said. “It’s okay. You're safe.”

Clarke smiled, wrapping her arms around Lexa’s waist and burying her face in Lexa’s neck. Lexa wrapped her own arms around Clarke and held her close, breathing in her scent.

Lexa didn’t know she had spoken until she heard and felt Clarke’s laughter. “Thanks.”

“What?” Lexa’s eyes widened. “What did I say?”

“You said I smell like roses.” She laughed again, pulling back and looking up at Lexa with a smile on her face, the trouble with Finn already forgotten.

“Oh.” Lexa said. “I didn’t know I said that out loud.”

“Clarke, one of the building’s security officers removed Finn from the premises.” Octavia cut in.

“Good.” Clarke said, frowning.

“Do you want me to call Anya and ask her to reschedule? I’m sure she’ll understand…” Lexa asked, looking down at the ground because she was very certain Anya wouldn’t understand, and that she would get a mouthful the next time she saw her if she cancelled now.

“No, I’m fine.” Clarke assured her. “Besides, I don’t want to give her _another_ reason to hate me.”

Lexa let out a small laugh, “Yes that probably wouldn’t be the best idea.”

“So what do you want to do until dinner? We could go out and do something fun, see a movie…” Clarke said, eager to get out of the apartment. Lexa could tell she really wanted to get out of here, so she agreed to a movie.

They left the apartment immediately to make the next showing of Vampire Slayer 5, which, according to critics, would be awful. When Lexa complained she wanted to see a _good_ movie, Clarke retorted with the undeniable fact that terrible movies were great in the sense that they could make you laugh just by being bad.

So, it was because of that logic that they sat in the movie now, laughing at the cheesy and ridiculous things going on in the movie. Neither one of them was entirely sure where the plot was going; it kind of just seemed to be doing its own thing. Which was perfectly alright with Clarke and Lexa, because it was indeed hilarious.

When the movie was over, they spent the rest of the time they had until they had to get ready for dinner walking around the city. Clarke showed Lexa her favorite drawing spots, and Lexa showed Clarke her favorite thinking spots.

At some point during their adventure, Clarke had turned to Lexa and asked, “Are you okay?”

Lexa had been confused, her brow knitting together as she looked at Clarke. Clarke had seen the question in her eyes and shook her head, putting her hands in her pockets and looking down at the ground. “Sorry, it’s just I know that seeing Finn like that couldn’t be good. And the way I reacted, it makes it seem like all the things Anya must’ve been telling you are true.”

Lexa had taken both of Clarke’s hands and looked at her with a smile. “Clarke, drop it. It’s alright. I know you’re over him.”

Clarke had sighed then, nodding her head in agreement.

Now, they were back at Clarke’s apartment, getting ready for dinner. Clarke was debating which dress to wear, and was standing by her closet in only a towel. Lexa was laying across Clarke’s bed, but she had a sudden urge to go over to Clarke and rip the towel off. She buried the desire, however, considering they were running low on time to get ready.

“Okay, what do you think?” Clarke flipped around, holding the yellow and white flower dress up beside the turquoise, flowing dress that probably cost more than Lexa’s rent.

“The blue one.” Lexa said. Clarke held up the turquoise-blue dress and gestured to it. Lexa nodded, “It brings out your eyes.”

Clarke blushed, putting the flower dress back in the closet. “Alright.”

She retreated into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A few moments later, she exited the bathroom, her wet hair falling down on her shoulders. The dress looked fantastic on her, but Lexa still felt she missed an opportunity now that Clarke was dressed.

“Can you help me do my makeup? Or do you need to get ready yourself?” Clarke asked, taking her makeup bag in front of the mirror on her wall and starting.

“I’ll help you in a minute.” Lexa stood, grabbing the dress she had brought over from her apartment and walking into the bathroom to change. It was a green dress with white polka dots covering it. It stopped just above Lexa’s knees, and had one strap on her left shoulder but was bare on the other.

She emerged from the bathroom, setting her previous outfit down on Clarke’s bed. She caught Clarke’s eye in the mirror and smiled, busying herself with folding her shirt and jeans.

“Are you nervous?” Lexa tried to make conversation.

“Very.”

Lexa walked over to Clarke and put her head on her shoulder, looking at the both of them in the mirror. She had a small smile on her face as she watched Clarke watching her. “You’ll be fine. She’ll be swept away by your charm, I’m sure.”

“My charm…” Clarke said, letting out a quiet laugh.

“Yes. The same charm that I fell for.” Lexa said, pulling herself up and turning Clarke around to face her. She held out her hands, “Makeup?”

Clarke put the mascara in Lexa’s palm and sat quietly while Lexa worked away, finishing up the blonde’s makeup.

After Lexa finished refreshing her own makeup, they left for Anya’s apartment. On the ride there, Clarke stole Lexa’s AUX plug and played some of her favorite music, singing loudly. When Lexa asked for some Brad Paisley, Clarke had gasped loudly and looked at Lexa like she was crazy.

“Country music? Country music?!” Clarke had wide eyes. “Don’t you know?”

“Know what?” Lexa couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her throat.

“Country music is displeasing to the soul.” Clarke said.

“ _'Displeasing to the soul?'_ ” Lexa could barely contain her laughter, and the serious face Clarke was holding wasn’t helping all too much.

“ _Very_ displeasing to the soul.” Clarke nodded, changing the song to something by Kanye West.

“And this isn’t?”

“Hey,” Clarke shrugged, “Kanye West is the Kanye best.”

“Can’t argue with that logic.” Lexa agreed, shaking her head with laughter.

They arrived at Anya’s apartment a few minutes after that, Lexa hopping out of the car and rushing over to open Clarke’s door. When Clarke was standing on the pavement beside her, she did a curtsey and smiled at Lexa, stepping aside so that Lexa could close the door. They faced the apartment complex together, Lexa taking Clarke’s hand as they made their way up the pathway.

Clarke admired the stone fountains outside in the courtyard, and the fancy bricks covering the sides of the building. There was a worker trimming away at the bushes on the sides of the entrance, even though it was beginning to get dark outside.

They entered the building together, Clarke biting her lip nervously. Lexa squeezed her hand reassuringly as they made their way into the elevator, Lexa pressing the button to Anya’s floor.

She couldn’t help but feel a slight nervousness in her stomach. If Anya truly didn’t like Clarke after tonight, she would never hear the end of it. Well, Anya might not _say_ anything, but she would certainly give Lexa looks and make noises indicating her dislike of Clarke. But she was fairly certain Anya would like Clarke for who she truly was, and how she made Lexa feel. Lexa had never felt this way about anyone in her life, and she was hopeful that once Anya saw that, she would except it and get past whatever rumors she had heard.

There was a _ding_ noise as the doors opened, Lexa leading Clarke out of the elevator and down the corridor to Anya’s apartment. When they reached it, Lexa rapped her knuckles against it lightly.

There was a small shuffling sound before the door opened, and there Anya stood, an apron wrapped around her waist. She was in a sun dress, her hair tied up loosely in a bun that suited her nicely. Her dark hair looked semi-moist, like she had recently been in the shower. She had a small bit of makeup on, but nothing that was too noticeable like Lexa’s eyeliner or Clarke’s mascara.

“Hello.” Anya said, looking at the both of them. “Come in.”

“Hi.” Clarke said, stepping past Lexa and Anya into the apartment. Lexa followed behind her, shooting Anya a ‘ _be nice’_ look. Anya stuck her tongue out before turning around and facing Clarke.

“Look, Clarke.” She started, “I wanted to say sorry for how I acted in the restaurant before. It was very rude of me to judge you before getting to know you first.”

Clarke smiled, lifting her head at Anya’s words. “Thank you. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused in the past few days.”

“No, it was me that caused the trouble.” Anya said, shooting Lexa a quick glance. “I wanted to make up for it by getting to know you at this dinner tonight.”

Clarke nodded, following her and Lexa into the kitchen, where Anya went back to finishing up cooking the meal. When Anya’s back was to them, Clarke looked at Lexa with a question in her eyes, probably wondering if Lexa had put Anya up to this. Lexa shook her head and mouthed, _this was all her_.

“So, Clarke,” Anya said, “Lexa says you work as a doctor?”

“Yes, on the weekdays.”

“They don’t call you in on weekends?” Anya glanced behind at them, stirring at whatever was in the pot on the stove.

“Sometimes, but it’s rare. Only if it’s a big emergency, and if they’re low staffed.” Clarke says. “What about you? What do you do for work?”

“Prostitute.”

Clarke’s eyes widened, and so did Lexa’s. Lexa was about to reassure her Anya was _not_ a stripper before Anya beat her to it. “ _Kidding_. I’m a lawyer, like Lexa.”

Clarke let out a small laugh. “Good, good.”

“You have roommates?” Anya asked.

“Yes. Their names are Octavia and Raven.” Clarke nodded, even though Anya’s back was to her.

“Octavia… Octavia Blake?” Anya asked, turning around and looking at Clarke with her brows drawn together.

“Yes. How did you know?”

“I have a friend named Lincoln. He’s got a girlfriend named Octavia.” Anya said. Clarke smiled, pointing at Anya.

“You know Lincoln too?” she said. “He never mentioned you. Well, I mean, I’m not all that close with him. Octavia’s really the only one that hangs out with him. Her and Bellamy, at least.”

Anya nods, grabbing bowls from the cabinet beside her and setting them on the counter. “Do you guys want anything to drink?”

“Water’s fine, thanks.” Clarke said. Anya looked at Lexa, who nodded and pointed at Clarke. Anya grabbed three glasses and filled two with water and one with bourbon. She handed the waters to Clarke and Lexa before taking a swig of her own drink.

Lexa tried to ignore the fact that she had to pee, and had forgotten to go before they left Clarke’s. She really didn’t want to leave Clarke alone with Anya; she was afraid of what Anya would say to Clarke in her absence.

“You okay there Lexa?” Anya asked. “You look like you’re about to explode.”

Clarke turned her head to Lexa and narrowed her eyes. She glanced at the way Lexa was pursing her lips and the way she shuffled slightly from foot to foot. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

Lexa saw the look Anya gave her; it almost looked like jealousy that Clarke had figured it out before her. The other part of it was amazement that Clarke knew Lexa well enough to be able to read her so well.

“No…” Lexa said. “Okay fine, yes.”

“You know where the bathroom is you idiot.” Anya said. “Go before you explode on my new carpet.”

Lexa opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it and walked off in the direction of the bathroom. The second the door closed she heard muffled sounds of the two talking in her absence. Now, they could just have been continuing their conversation from where they had left off, but Lexa knew Anya well enough to know that wasn’t going to be the case. Now that she had Clarke alone, she would use it to her advantage.

It was quite possible she wasn’t threatening the blonde, but instead asking her personal questions that Lexa would never approve of if she was in the room.

It was for that reason that she sped through her visit to the bathroom and was out in a minute or two.

Clarke and Anya sat at the table in the dining area, bowls of the soup Anya had prepared in front of them. Clarke had a bite of it in her mouth, and was lowering the spoon slowly as she took in what Anya was whispering to her. She nodded, then looked up when she heard the creak of a floorboard that Lexa stepped on.

A spot was set for her, so she sat down and grabbed the spoon from beside her soup. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Nothing,” they both said simultaneously, looking extremely guilty for some odd reason.

“Anya, if you were threatening Clarke-”

“I was not threatening her.” Anya said. “Was I?”

“She wasn’t,” Clarke’s look was sincere, and there was absolutely zero fear in her eyes that Anya would kill her if she didn’t agree. Lexa nodded, leaning back in her seat and taking a sip of water.

“So,” Anya said. “How did your parents take you being… bi? Are you bi or gay?”

“Bi,” Clarke nodded. “And they took it pretty well… Though I’m fairly certain they would be happier if I was with a man.” She shrugged. “Guess they won’t get their way.”

Lexa blushed slightly, looking down at her hands in her lap with a small smile.

Anya nodded, taking a bite of soup. “Are you close with them?”

“Um…” Clarke shrugged. “Kind of. My mom calls me sometimes… She always comes down for big holidays, or arranges for me to come to her. She sends me gifts on my birthday… that kind of thing. I don’t really talk to her about important things. She knows I’m dating Lexa, though.”

“What about your dad?” Anya asks.

“Um…” Clarke glances at Lexa before looking back at Anya. “He’s dead.”

“Oh,” Anya says, sitting up in her chair, her eyes widening. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright…” Clarke said. “What about you? Are you close with your family?”

“My mom… yes. My dad, no so much. I talk to him and see him at family things, but I don’t talk to him daily like my mom.” Anya nodded. She noticed how Lexa was slumped over and changed the subject away from parents. “So what kind of art do you do? Paintings, drawings…”

“Both,” Clarke’s eyes got brighter and she sat up straighter. “I love art. It’s one of my favorite hobbies. Before I decided to be a doctor, I considered becoming an art major. But I figured I could still have time for art and have a job I can be dependent on for my cash flow purposes.”

“Smart.” Anya nodded. “Do you have time for it?”

“Well, usually when I get home I sit down and unwind with my sketchbook; and I have art classes on the weekend. I took Lexa to one of them.”

“So I heard.” Anya nodded, a small smile on her face.

“You’re welcome to come to, if you’re interested.” Clarke said. “I’m sure my teacher wouldn’t mind.”

“Well, thank you, but art doesn’t interest me as much as it does Lexa. I would, however, appreciate some art for like a birthday or something…” she said, looking around at her bare walls. “My apartment’s a little empty.” Anya paused. “You know. In case you need ideas for my birthday, which is on November the second.”

“Dually noted.” Clarke nodded, pulling her phone from her pocket and marking it on her calendar below the table.

Anya let out a small chuckle, and while Clarke was distracted with her phone, she mouthed to Lexa, _She’s growing on me_.

Lexa couldn’t help the smile that found its way on to her face. Thank god everything was going well. Lexa just had to stay quiet. Clarke could handle herself, and seemed to be making a good impression on her own without Lexa having to cut in.

For the rest of the night, Anya asked Clarke questions about her work, who she helped and what she did for most of the day. She asked about Clarke’s roommates, what kinds of things she did with them, and how long she had known them. She continued to ask about Clarke’s art, and seemed to bring it up randomly between other questions.

The entire time Lexa sat there almost silent except for the laugh that would escape her lips when one of the two before her made a joke. She had thought of several clever comments herself, but she didn’t say anything as to not disrupt the two’s formation of a ‘friendship’.

Once dinner was over, they migrated to the living room where Clarke began asking Anya questions. Anya had protested, but Clarke had said that she had been asked enough questions; it was her turn to play detective.

Clarke asked pretty much the same questions Anya had asked her- things about her job, what she did in her spare time. Lexa could tell Clarke was mentally taking notes about everything Anya said, keeping it all locked away in her vault for later.

When the time came to leave, Lexa asked Clarke for a moment alone with Anya. Clarke nodded, said goodbye to Anya and headed down the hall back to the elevator.

Lexa turned around and closed the door to the apartment so Clarke couldn’t hear their conversation. “So? What did you think?”

“I’m sorry, Lexa.” Anya said. “I shouldn’t have listened to those damned rumors. She’s a great person- and I can tell she really likes you, with the way she kept glancing at you when you weren’t looking.”

“So you like her then?” Lexa asked hopefully, her face brightening into a smile.

“Yeah, yeah.” Anya waved a hand. “I like her. She’s good for you. But if she breaks your heart, I will kill her. Now go, don’t leave her waiting in the hall.”

Lexa gave Anya a hug and left the apartment, turning down the hall and smiling when she saw Clarke on her phone, looking oddly frustrated with a game she must’ve been playing.

“Blasted birds…” she muttered under her breath, tilting the phone and pressing things on the screen. Lexa let out a small chuckle, causing her to look up and see Lexa coming. Clarke quickly shut off her phone and put it in her pocket.

“Ready?” she asked. Clarke nodded, following Lexa to the elevator. Lexa grabbed her hand, squeezing lightly and giving Clarke a wide grin. “She likes you.”

Clarke let out a long breath that she appeared to have been holding in. “That’s a relief.”

They drove home in silence, and at first Lexa thought it was because Clarke was thinking, but then she heard a small noise like snoring and glanced beside her; Clarke’s eyes were closed, her glasses falling down on the tip of her nose. Pieces of her hair were falling in her face, and were being blown around slightly as she breathed. The whole thing was insanely adorable, and it took all Lexa’s energy to tear her eyes away from Clarke and put them back on the road.

Halfway through the car ride, Clarke started muttering in her sleep.

“We have to get to Mount Weather.” She whispered, her head falling over against the window.

A couple minutes later, she muttered, “I didn’t get to try the chocolate cake…”

A few more minutes after that, she nearly made Lexa duck and roll out of the car when she shouted, “Spear!” all the while staying asleep.

The last thing she muttered before finally going into a full-on sleep was, “Monty can fix it…”

And then her head fell on Lexa’s shoulder and she was distracted the rest of the way to the apartment complex.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa's Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm posting this a little late; I've just been very busy with studying for midterms and test, ect.
> 
> I hope you like the chapter, and thank you so much for reading!
> 
> BTW (Semi-Important): Quick warning for the next chapter; it's not going to be as cute and fluffy as these chapters have been. Every story needs a climax, so just be prepared.

Lexa didn’t know what to make of it when she was awoken by Clarke jumping on the bed in front of her shouting, “Lexa! Lexa! Wake up! It’s your birthday! Lexa!”

“What is going on…?” Lexa sat up, and upon her waking up Clarke stopped and grabbed both her cheeks, pressing her lips to Lexa’s. Lexa, who was still confused beyond belief, brought a hand up to Clarke’s side and kissed back.

“Happy birthday!” Clarke said when she pulled back.

“Happy… what?” Lexa looked down at the clock on the nightstand beside her. It was seven thirty in the morning. “How did you get in here?” Lexa knew they hadn’t spent the night together last night.

“Costia let me in.” Clarke said. “Because it’s your birthday, and I wanted to give you the best birthday ever.”

“It’s my… Right, I forgot.” Lexa said, blinking her eyes in an attempt to clear the fog from her mind.

“How in the world did you forget that today is your _birthday_?” Clarke said, her brow furrowing as she plopped down on the bed beside Lexa.

“I don’t know… Work’s been intense… I guess I just didn’t remember.” Lexa shrugged.

“Well, I hope your schedule is clear because I planned the whole day out for us.” Clarke said excitedly, propping herself up on her elbow.

“Really?” Lexa couldn’t imagine doing anything other than spending time with Clarke on her birthday; if she hadn’t met her, she most likely would have spent it in a bar alone.

“Yeah. Starting with this.” Clarke hopped off the bed and grabbed something sitting by the door Lexa hadn’t noticed before. It was a rectangle shaped object, wrapped in birthday wrapping paper with a bow placed strategically in the corner. Clarke placed it in Lexa’s lap and smiled, “Happy birthday.”

Lexa narrowed her eyes at Clarke, though she couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips as she opened it. She ripped the paper off and tossed it aside, holding up the canvas and looking at the piece of artwork Clarke had made for her.

“When I mentioned to Raven I didn’t have any pictures of us together yet, she told me she had snapped a few when we weren’t looking and gave them to me. I picked the best one and painted it for you.” She said. “Do you like it?”

It was a picture of Clarke and Lexa, during the second game night Lexa had attended. Lexa was leaning back on the couch, a huge grin on her face while Clarke had snuck up behind Lexa and wrapped her arms around her, pressing a kiss to her cheek from behind.

Clarke had painted it to perfection, and if Lexa still couldn’t catch the slight whiff of paint coming off of it, she would have thought Clarke had gotten the picture enlarged and put on a canvas.

“This is amazing.” Lexa said, “Thank you.”

“That’s part one of your gift.” Clarke said, stepping back.

“Part one?” Lexa said, standing up and setting the painting down. She would hang it on the wall by her window later.

“There’s _three_ parts.” Clarke said. “Now get dressed. I’ll be waiting in the living room.”

“Okay,” Lexa said, nodding. Clarke left her to get ready, closing the door softly behind her. Lexa smiled to herself the entire time she got ready, glad Clarke had remembered her birthday.

When she emerged from her room in jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and converse, her hair falling down over her shoulders, Clarke was sitting on the couch with Costia, talking about something in low whispers that made Lexa narrow her eyes. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Nothing.” Clarke said, standing. She gave Lexa such a genuine smile that Lexa forgot what she had been worried about in the first place. “We were just discussing how I am about to go make you breakfast…”

“Breakfast?” Lexa said. Clarke took her hand, pulling her towards the door.

“Yes…” Clarke said, grinning.

“You guys are gross. Hurry up and get out of here before I barf, you crazy kids.” Costia said from the couch.

“Says the one I caught making out with Raven not that long ago.” Lexa called back before the door closed behind them.

Clarke led Lexa down the hall to her apartment, where the first thing that hit her nostrils was the smell of pancakes or possibly waffles (she hoped both). “What is that?-”

“LEXA!” someone called from the kitchen. She and Clarke entered warily, prepared for there to be some kind of explosion about to go off, or possibly a fire. But when they got there, all that stood before them was Raven and Octavia wearing identical chef hats and aprons that both said “Kiss the Cook”.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” They said in unison, Raven popping a small confetti cannon in their direction. They both gave Lexa hugs before returning to the kitchen, where breakfast was being prepared.

“Sorry Clarke,” Raven said. “We know you wanted to make breakfast but we were hungry too and you always burn the pancakes.”

“That’s…” Clarke started, a small bit of surprise covering her features as well. That was when Lexa realized this probably wasn’t what was supposed to happen. “That’s probably true.” Clarke finally finished, grinning at the two. “Anyway, I might’ve burned the kitchen down anyway.”

“For clarification, Lexa, because you look very confused-”

“-Clarke was going to make breakfast but we stole the honor from her.” They both explained. Clarke just shook her head with a grin, sitting down on a stool at the counter. Lexa followed suit, taking off her jacket and lying it across the back of her chair.

“I thought you guys were _busy_ this morning.” Clarke seemed to be hinting at something, but Lexa didn’t question it.

“We sent Bellamy and Lincoln to handle it.” Raven answered. At Clarke’s ‘you did not’ face, they explained further. “Monty’s there too.”

Clarke visibly relaxed, nodding quickly.

“Monty?” Lexa asked. “Why does that make it all better?”

“Monty is a king.” Clarke answered. “Bellamy and Lincoln won’t know what they’re doing because they’re too straight.”

“Too straight to decorate.” Raven said, then let out a small snort. “Ha, that rhymed.” When nobody else looked amused, she pouted, receiving a small pat on the back by Octavia.

“It was a good effort.” Octavia said.

“Decorate? What are they doing?”

“Some event thing of Jasper’s. He asked me to help him set up, and you know, add a woman’s touch. But I couldn’t, because it’s your birthday, so I sent these two.” Clarke explained. “Why was your first resort Bellamy and Lincoln?”

“Hey, have you seen Lincoln’s apartment? He’s got good taste.” Octavia shrugged.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only one that’s seen his apartment.” Clarke said.

“ _All_ of his apartment.” Raven said. “Every _single_ piece of furniture.”

Octavia punched her in the arm, shaking her head with an amused smile before returning to the food.

“That is not something we want to hear about, Raven.” Clarke said, “Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself.”

“Hush,” Raven points a spatula at her. “We can hear you guys giggling when you stay up late talking.”

“Giggling is not the same as dirty talk.”

Raven opens her mouth as if to say something, but instead just shakes the spatula at her with a glare. “You and your damned logic and reason…” she muttered, shaking her head sarcastically.

“So what do you guys have planned today?” Octavia asked.

“I… don’t know.” Lexa says. “Clarke refuses to tell me.”

“And I’m not gonna, either.” Clarke said. “You will learn to like surprises.”

“But they are so nerve wracking.” Lexa complains, sticking out her bottom lip. “I just want to know what it is.”

“Quiet, you.” Clarke said, planting a kiss to her lips. “It’s good, I promise.”

“Speaking of good, food is served.” Raven said, placing two plates in front of them. “By the way, Clarke told me about the cheese in the eggs, and let me say, I am a little mad I didn’t think of that first.”

Lexa smirked, grabbing utensils and cutting into a pancake on her plate.

Octavia prepared two more plates for her and Raven, pulling her over to the kitchen table on the other side of the room to leave Clarke and Lexa alone.

“Do you have any idea how grateful I am that I just so happened to move in next door to you?” Lexa said after taking a couple bites of the breakfast. “I was a very lonely person before I met you.”

“You had Anya. And you were moving in with Costia.” Clarke pointed out.

“I meant romantically lonely.” Lexa sighed. “Don’t ruin the moment, Clarke.”

Clarke just grinned, leaning over in her seat to kiss Lexa’s cheek. “Well, in that case, I was very lonely too. And single. Very single. Single life is not fun.”

“I agree.” Lexa nodded.

“So,” Clarke said when they both finished. “Are you ready for part two?”

“This was not part two?”

“I meant part two of your present.” Clarke said, standing from her seat. She held out her hand for Lexa. Lexa flung her jacket back on and took Clarke’s hand, following her to the door. “See you guys later!” Clarke called to Octavia and Raven, who just waved rapidly and shouted their goodbyes.

“I’m kind of… afraid.” Lexa said as Clarke dragged her to the elevator.

“Relax. It’s not like I got you a bomb or something.” She paused, “Although, Raven probably did. I’m sure whatever she made you isn’t supposed to explode, but it probably will.”

Clarke continued to ramble on about how Raven needed to quote on quote, “test her devices before she hands them out willy-nilly”. Lexa had never really _seen_ one of Raven’s devices, but the noises they made were indeed horrifying. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being on the receiving end of one of those… creations.

When they got in the car, Clarke held up a black blindfold.

“You don’t intend to kidnap me, do you?” Lexa said, stepping a good five feet away from Clarke.

“No, I just want to make sure you’re not peeking.” Clarke clarified. Lexa narrowed her eyes, warily taking a step forward. Clarke let out a chuckle and reached forward, pulling her the rest of the way. She slid the blindfold over Lexa’s eyes and tightened it, making sure it didn’t come loose before helping Lexa into the car.

“Remind me why I can’t look?”

“You’re a smart girl, you know what the word “surprise” means.” She heard Clarke say beside her. The car started moving forward, and a few turns and then the constant feeling of moving in one direction indicated they had made it out of the parking lot.

“Judging by the fact that you have to cover my eyes I’m guessing the ‘surprise’ is big?” Lexa said, smiling with excitement. She could almost feel Clarke smiling beside her.

“You won’t know until we get there.”

For the rest of the ride, Clarke put on some of Lexa’s favorite music as they drove to wherever she planned on taking her. They sat in silence, one of them occasionally humming along to the music.

When the car came to a stop, Lexa turned her head in Clarke’s direction. “Are we here?”

“Yes, Lexa,” she said. Lexa was about to take off the blindfold when she felt Clarke’s hand on her wrist. “No, no. You can take it off when I tell you to.”

Lexa let out a frustrated grunt, falling back in her seat and waiting for Clarke to come around the other side of the car and help her out. She felt the door open, and then Clarke’s hands were in hers as she led her out of the car.

When Lexa had her feet on the ground and Clarke had closed up and locked the car, Clarke put her hands on Lexa’s shoulders and started leading her to whatever they were going to for Lexa’s second present.

When Clarke brought them to a stop, Lexa used the only senses that might help her figure out where they were. She breathed in through her nose, catching a whiff of what smelled like corn dogs and possibly popcorn. The noises around her sounded like laughter mixed with talking, and in the distance you could hear shouts of joy.

“Are we at Murphey’s Race Track?” Lexa said excitedly. She loved Murphey’s Race Track; her parents had driven her all the way down here from where they lived when she was a kid, and as soon as she figured out her new apartment was close by, she had gone to it once already two weeks ago.

Clarke pulled the blindfold off quickly, holding her hands out and gesturing to the giant sign that read the title of the race track. Lexa’s eyes bulged when she saw she was right, and she let out a small squeal of excitement.

She remembered bringing Clarke with her when she had gone, not wanting to race alone like she used to when she was a kid.

“I know how much you love this place, so I got full day passes so we can go through all the courses twice.” Clarke said. “But I’m not going to take it easy on you like I did that one time.”

Lexa remembered beating Clarke on their last round on one of the tracks, and how she had bragged about it for at least ten minutes before Clarke shut her up with a kiss. “You didn’t take it easy on me; I just beat you because I am an amazing racer.”

“Sure, Lexa.” Clarke laughed, dragging her by the arm to the booth where she showed the day passes she had stopped by the other day to pre-purchase. The girl in the booth put a band on her wrist, and then on Lexa’s, admitting them entrance to the tracks.

“So what do you want to do first?” Clarke smiled at her, using the hand that wasn’t firmly gripping Lexa’s to motion out to the rest of the park.

For the rest of the day, until around six o’clock, they rode on race tracks and ate corn dogs and shared a bag of popcorn and Lexa thought it might have been the greatest birthday she’d had in a long time.

Clarke drove Lexa back to the apartment building, the two arguing over who had _really_ won the last match. It had been a close race, and they had practically made it at the same time, but both of them thought they had succeeded in beating the other. Eventually, Lexa did what Clarke had done and silenced her with a kiss, even though she was driving. Clarke got quiet after that, muttering about how she shouldn’t distract her like that when she’s driving.

They pulled in the parking lot, Clarke running across to Lexa’s side of the car to open the door for her. She did a small bow as Lexa hopped out of the car, causing Lexa to smirk and curtsy in response.

Lexa looped her arm through Clarke’s as they walked in the building together, rode the elevator to their floor and made their way back to Clarke’s apartment. Lexa was taken briefly by surprise when they walked past her apartment and headed to Lexa and Costia’s instead; they always hung out at Clarke’s. She had way more food stocked in her closet and far more movies and television shows on DVD than they did, and Lexa figured they would just watch a ton of movies at Clarke’s or something like they usually did.

“What are we doing?” Lexa asked when Clarke took Lexa’s keys from her jacket pocket and put them in the lock, unlocking the door.

“Your third present.” Clarke said simply, opening the door and pulling Lexa in the apartment. It was extremely dark, and just as Lexa was reaching for the light switch by the door, another light somewhere in the apartment was turned on and a ton of people popped out all at once.

“SURPRISE!”

All of Lexa’s new friends (Costia, Octavia, Raven, Bellamy, Lincoln, Monty, and Jasper) came out of their hiding places along with Anya, who had a party hat and a party horn that she was loudly blowing. Lexa’s eyes widened and she backed up in shock, her back hitting Clarke’s chest. Clarke caught her, steadying her as she tried to take in the scene before her.

“Are you surprised?” Clarke laughed into her hair, turning so she was facing Lexa.

“Y-Yes.” Lexa said, looking over at everyone. “I take it Jasper’s ‘event thing’ was made up?”

“Yep.”

“And the thing you and Costia were whispering about was not breakfast?”

“Yep.”

Anya joined in, “And when me and Clarke were whispering after you went to the bathroom at dinner and you thought I was threatening her.”

“Yep.”

“Wait, you’ve been planning this for _that_ long?” Lexa looked at Clarke partly in surprise, and partly in amazement.

“Yep.”

“Griffin, expand your vocabulary.” Raven said. “Answering everything with ‘yep’ makes you sound like a five year old.”

“Nope.”

Lexa let out a small chuckle, pulling Clarke into an embrace. “Thank you.” She whispered. “Thank you for giving me such a great birthday.”

“It’s not over yet!” Clarke said in a sing-song voice, pulling Lexa into the kitchen. “We have prepared all your favorite foods. Thai, that pizza place you like, Carmines, and various different types of sushi from that sushi place we go to sometimes.”

“What is this ‘we’?” Monty said, “You didn’t do any of the setting up.”

“Yes, but I kept Lexa away from the apartment all day while you followed my instructions on setting everything up. So basically, I did all the work.” Clarke countered.

“You didn’t do any labor.” Raven said. “Do you know how difficult it was to hang your ‘Happy Birthday Lexa!’ banner?”

“I did labor when I painted that banner.” Clarke pointed at her. Raven squinted her eyes at Clarke before sliding into the next room to avoid any further conversation.

After everyone had put a good sized dent in the food they had gotten, they moved into the living room where Lexa opened all the presents everyone had gotten her.

Bellamy was the first to give her his present. “I wasn’t sure what size you were so I had Costia snoop around in your closet for me so I could make sure it fit.”

“Gee, Bell,” Clarke said. “Why don’t you just be more obvious about what you got her?”

Bellamy stuck his tongue out at her, doing a sarcastic hair flip and turning back to Lexa, waiting excitedly for her to open it. She gave him a wary look, glancing down at the small package.

She pulled the tissue paper out and tossed it on the floor beside her, pulling what appeared to be a t-shirt out. She opened it up (it was folded far too nicely, she figured Octavia must have packaged it for him or something) and read the five letter word out loud to everyone.

“Clexa.” She said, smirking. The letters were white, whereas the shirt was a dark navy blue color. There was white trim on the sleeves and around the neck hole. She turned it around and showed it to the rest of the people, all sitting on the couch and chairs (some sitting on the floor because there wasn’t enough room). They all chanted for her to put it on, so obviously she succumbed to peer pressure and pulled it on over her white t-shirt.

It fit nicely; wasn’t too big or too small. Lexa pulled her hair out and over the shirt, looking down at herself.

“It looks great.” Raven said.

“So great.” Octavia confirmed.

“You look great.” Anya added.

“Clarke get over there and pose with her.” Octavia said.

“We _must_ get pictures for snapchat.” Raven held her phone up.

“Why?” Clarke said, standing up and walking over to Lexa anyway. “The only people that follow you on snapchat are all in this room.”

“Then it’s going on Instagram.” Raven said.

There wasn’t enough room for both of them to sit on the couch, so Lexa stood along with Clarke and looped her arm around the blonde’s waist. Clarke put her arm around Lexa’s waist as well, leaning over and putting her head on Lexa’s shoulder.

“Cute.”

“So cute.”

“Smile!”

“Got it.”

“You guys look great.

“Hashtag no filter.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “Why can’t you guys calm down for more than two seconds?”

Raven and Octavia simply shrugged, going over the picture and discussing a caption (which was clearly _so_ important).

Clarke didn’t return to her original seat; instead she plopped down on the ground at Lexa’s feet and leaned back against her legs.

The next present Lexa opened was from both Jasper and Monty. It was in a small red box with a white bow tied around it. She pulled the bow off and opened the box, taking the object out carefully. It was a pair of salt shakers; one had a cute raccoon head on top, and the other had an equally- if not cuter -lion head on top. Lexa lifted them both up and raised an eyebrow at the two.

“Okay, you might be kind of annoyed by all the Clexa things we keep getting you…” Jasper said. “But the lion is Clarke, because lions are her spirit animal, and the raccoon is you because Clarke said you like raccoons and we weren’t sure what your spirit animal was.”

Lexa smirked, setting down the salt shakers. “We needed salt shakers anyway.”

“So you like it then?” Monty asked, grinning.

“Yeah, yeah.” Lexa couldn’t help the smile that fought its way onto her face.

She opened the present from Octavia and Lincoln next, shuffling through the bag looking for the gift. When she saw what it was her face paled immediately and she put the bag down on the table beside the salt shakers with wide eyes.

“What is it?” Lincoln asked.

“You don’t know what it is?” Raven said. “You didn’t tell him what you got?” she said to Octavia.

“If I did he wouldn’t have let me package it up all nice and pretty and give it to her.” Octavia grinned mischievously, making Lexa’s face go from pale to insanely red with embarrassment.

“What is it?” Clarke asked.

“It’s for _both_ of you.” Octavia said. “Go ahead and look, Griffin.”

Clarke narrowed her eyes at Octavia and leaned back against Lexa’s legs, putting her hand back down instead of looking in the bag. She was mildly afraid to look at whatever it was, considering Octavia looked like she was about to burst out laughing.

“What is it?” Clarke repeated in a whisper, not taking her eyes off Octavia who was still snickering on the couch.

Lexa leaned down to Clarke’s ear and whispered so nobody else could hear. Clarke’s eyes widened and a deep red blush spread over her cheeks. “Octavia, you did not.”

“Oh, but I did.” She said. “I got you guys a dildo!”

“You…” Anya turned her head to Octavia, eyes wide. “You got my friend a dildo?”

“Yes.” She sounded so proud of herself. Anya just shook her head and put her face in her hands, but judging by her shaking shoulders she was laughing.

“I’m just going to… open the next present.” Lexa said. Raven stood and brought over her gift, handing it to Lexa.

“It’s fragile.” She warned, sitting back down in her spot.

Lexa held it up to her ear and listened for any ticking noises that would indicate explosion before nodding her head and lowering it to her lap. She pulled the top of the box off and set it on the coffee table, carefully unwrapping the tissue paper from around the device.

It appeared to be entirely metallic; the letters, gears, and stand it was all sitting on were made of metal material. The metal letters spelled Lexa, and the gears were either on the letters, in the letters, or around them. There was a small red button on the back that Lexa pressed, and they began to move. Raven clapped her hands and wiped a sleeve across her forehead. “Thank god it didn’t explode.”

Clarke stiffened in front of her, and Lexa knew her eyes were wide as she stared at Raven. “You thought it might _explode,_ yet you still gave it to my girlfriend?”

“It was fully functional the last couple times I tested it, but you can never be sure…” Raven shrugged.

Anya had already given Lexa her present a few days ago because she didn’t want to have to lug it to Lexa’s apartment to drop off and Lexa had already been visiting so “why not”. (It had been a new amp for her guitar.)

(Lexa didn’t play often, but she still needed a new one.)

(Anya may have broken it.)

The last present she opened was from Costia, and she was mildly surprised to find she had gotten her books. A few books she had been wanting, actually. But Lexa hadn’t told Costia about them, she had only told-

“Clarke said you might want those.” Costia shrugged.

When they were done with presents, Raven hopped up from her seat and grabbed something from her room quickly. It was a rolled up poster or sorts, and judging by the wary look on Clarke’s face she hadn’t planned this.

“Now, Griffin.” Raven said. “I know we didn’t discuss this, but… hear me out, okay?”

“Raven, what is that?” she asked.

When Raven unrolled it and turned it around for them all to see, the grin on Octavia and Raven’s faces were huge as everyone else let out small groans and put their hands on their face. Clarke looked mortified, but Lexa was just confused as she looked at the poster.

It was a picture of Clarke that had obviously been enlarged; in it she was standing at a kitchen counter and had been in the midst of turning around. There were tons of tiny holes poked into the poster where Clarke’s ass was, and several- but not many –other holes farther out on it.

“Pin the tail on the Clarkey!” Raven said excitedly, holding up a blindfold and a pin with fabric hanging off it to make it look like a tail.

“I thought I told you to burn that…” Clarke muttered, her face as red as a tomato.

“Selective listening.” Raven shrugged.

“So what do you say, Lexa?” Octavia said. “Wanna play?”

Clarke gave her a ‘please don’t do this’ look, clasping her hands in front of her chest and falling down on her knees.

“Clarkey… Clarkey… Clarkey…” Raven chanted quietly, motioning to the poster with an ear splitting grin.

Finally, she looked over at Octavia who was nodding and pointing at Raven.

“Clarke, I’m sorry.” Lexa sighed. “It _does_ look like an appealing game…”

Clarke clenched her jaw and plopped down on the floor angrily. “This is degrading. Raven, I cannot believe you made that.”

“Hey, I was drunk.” Raven said.

“That is no excuse for why you didn’t get rid of it when you were sober.” Clarke pointed out.

“Fine, my excuse was that I wanted to pull it out whenever you got into a relationship.” Raven said. “To embarrass you.”

“You’re a great friend, Rae.”

“I know.” She smiled cheerfully. “Now, I just need to… ah, okay. Looks great.” She taped it up to the wall. “I think we should make this our new main art piece in the apartment. What do you guys think?”

Octavia said, “I’m game.” At the same time Clarke said, “Never in a million years.”

“Relax, Griffin, I was kidding.” Raven said, putting her hands up in defense. “Now, Lexa, time for the blindfold.”

Lexa shook her head in amusement and stood, making her way over to Raven. She secured the blindfold around Lexa’s eyes before moving her in front of the poster, Lexa suspected. She began to spin Lexa around after handing her the pin-on tail, counting down from ten.

Everyone in the room called out instructions for where she had to move to meet her mark, and she tried her best to only listen to one of those voices, but it was no use because everyone’s voices were blending together.

“This is such a pointless game.” Lexa said, “Do people even play this game anymore?”

“Small children do.” Raven said.

“Well, not really.” Bellamy countered. “People don’t play those types of games so much anymore.”

“And how do you know that, Mr. Blake?” Raven countered. She could tell Raven had probably put her hands on her hips in that defensive way she sometimes did. Lexa knew she wouldn’t have needed to look even if she wasn’t wearing the blindfold.

“I don’t know…” he shrugged. “Everyone just… technology… Yeah. Okay, Lexa, a little more to your left.” He changed the subject, stirring a small chuckle from Lexa as she followed his directions.

“I cannot believe you agreed to this.” She heard Clarke mutter even over all of the calls of ‘more to your right’ and ‘higher’ and ‘left!”

“The game is kind of fun.” Lexa shrugged, turning her head in the direction of where Clarke’s voice had come from a moment ago. “I do not see why you don’t enjoy it, Clarke.”

“You know why I don’t enjoy it you asshole.” she joked, “And um, by the way, they’ve been leading you to my boobs the whole time.”

Lexa felt her face redden immensely as she removed her hands from the board and pulled the pin back.

“Sorry, Lexy Rexy.” Raven said.

“But we’re not, though.” Octavia said.

“Did you just call her Lexy Rexy?” Anya cut in.

“Maybe.”

“I’ll have to start using that one.” Costia said. “It’s fitting.”

Lexa took the blindfold off with a frown, turning on her heels and handing the objects back to Raven. “You guys are so mean.” She pouted. “And on my birthday, too.”

“Hey, you wanted to play the game.” Raven shrugged. “Next time don’t trust us in directing you across the board.”

For the rest of the party they talked and laughed, sharing stories and making jokes and it wasn’t until Clarke’s phone went off once, twice, and then three times before the blonde finally picked up and went into the other room that Lexa’s smile wavered.

When Clarke came rushing out of the kitchen to grab her keys and jacket.

“What’s going on?” Lexa asked.

“Yeah, Griffin, what’s up?” Raven said. Everyone watched her expectantly as she ran around, tugging her boots on and pulling her jacket over her shoulders.

Clarke spoke in chopped speech, trying to get it out as quickly as possible. “Gunshot. Blood loss. Severe. Low staffed. Have to go.” She gave Lexa a quick peck on the lips. “Sorry I have to leave. Happy birthday. Bye everyone!”

“Let us know what happens!” Octavia called after her as the door closes.

\---

After everyone had slowly left Lexa and Costia’s apartment, she went to her room and stripped from her clothes, leaving nothing but her bra and underwear. She was far too tired to search for sweatpants and a shirt at the moment, so she just crawled under the covers. It wasn’t until she was about to lower her head on the pillow that she saw a small box resting on her nightstand.

She sat back up, pulling the sheets around her as she picked it up. There was a card with Lexa’s name sitting beside it, Clarke’s big loopy writing on the front.

She opened it up and read the note.

_I hope you enjoyed your birthday!! Bet you won’t be able to top this, nerd!_

Lexa smirked; Clarke had no idea how wrong she was. Especially since Clarke’s birthday wasn’t for a while, so Lexa had more time to learn more about Clarke before she planned it.

_Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m really glad I met you. I have something I want to tell you; just send me a quick text letting me know you saw my third gift (yes, the surprise party was not the third gift, the little box in your hand is) and that it’s okay for me to come over._

_I hope you like it!_

_< 3 Clarke_

Lexa grabbed her phone, a smile on her face as she opened her and Clarke’s messages. She was about to start typing when she remembered Clarke was busy at the hospital, and probably wouldn’t be home until late. She could wait until later to hear what Clarke had to tell her.

Lexa set the card back down on her nightstand and opened the box, setting the lid beside her on the bed. She carefully removed the bracelet from it, making sure not to pull it out the wrong way or damage it.

It had a tribal look to it; with dark brown strings made of a thick material. There was a wooden bead attached as well with an L carved into it. In the bottom of the box was a small note that read, _I noticed your tribal tattoos and thought you might like this. I got the bead specially made. Xoxo Clarke._

It was a really pretty bracelet, and had clearly been made by hand. She briefly wondered where Clarke had gotten it before deciding she should _probably_ go to bed. It was already two in the morning.

She sent Clarke a message letting her know she had seen her gift and loved it, and that they could talk tomorrow after Clarke got rest because she knew she’d be exhausted.

Lexa plopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about everything Clarke had done for her.

There was absolutely no doubt about it; Lexa was in love with the blonde. She only hoped Clarke felt the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! ;)


End file.
